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Musings From An Addicted Reader

Musings From An Addicted Reader

Monthly Archives: February 2020

Book Blitz: The Third Call by Lorhainne Eckhart

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, romance, Suspense

≈ 2 Comments

The Third Call
Lorhainne Eckhart
(The O’Connells, #2)
Publication date: February 29th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Deputy Marcus O’Connell is blindsided one night after a series of calls comes in from an unknown number, and the caller on the other end is a child. All he knows is she’s six years old, her name is Eva, and there’s someone in her house who wants to hurt her.

Marcus is the ultimate bad boy turned deputy. He knows everything about how to get away with something, considering he was one of the middle of the six O’Connell siblings. He never had responsibility resting on his shoulders like his brother Owen, and he’s never been the center of attention like his little sister, Suzanne. Marcus knows how to find trouble and talk his way out of it.

Now, as the head deputy for the Livingston sheriff’s office, he knows everything about everybody, and no one can pull anything over on him. It’s why he’s such a damn good deputy. But even Marcus dreads what cops know as the third call.

When Marcus takes the call the first time, he thinks it’s a prank. The second time, he knows there’s a problem. The third time the call comes in and is patched through to him, he knows it’s something he can’t ignore. The only thing is, the girl is terrified and keeps hanging up, and Marcus knows someone is in the house with her.

Where are her parents, and who is this mysterious girl who needs his help?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

SNEAK PEEK:

Marcus shut his eyes, that sick feeling welling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to vomit. Kids and animals were the most vulnerable. As he opened his eyes, he took in Tommy, who was staring at the gun on the counter. He felt such empathy and fury at the same time, considering it wasn’t so black and white after all.


Author Bio:

With flawed strong characters, characters you can relate to, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Lorhainne Eckhart writes the kind of books she wants to read. She is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, and her second book ever published, The Forgotten Child, is no exception. With close to 900 reviews on Amazon, translated into German and French, this book was such a hit that the long running Friessen Family series was born. Now with over sixty titles and multiple series under her belt her big family romance series are loved by fans worldwide. A recipient of the 2013, 2015 and 2016 Readers’ Favorite Award for Suspense and Romance, Lorhainne lives on the sunny west-coast Gulf Island of Salt Spring Island, is the mother of three, her oldest has autism and she is an advocate for never giving up on your dreams.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


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Book Tour and Giveaway: Love On The Line Series by Lynn Michaels

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Contemporary Romance, giveaway, LGBTQ+

≈ 3 Comments

Paint on the Canvas
Love on the Line Book 2
by Lynn Michaels
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
A life-changing sacrifice for art and love.
Daltrey Boxbaum is an artist, a lover, an addict, and more. Through the years, he finds and loses love, fights addiction, and defines himself in new ways.
Martin Hannan was the love of Daltrey’s life, the son of a world-famous Silicon Valley developer and tycoon. Left behind to fight his own battles, Martin’s reappearance in Daltrey’s life turns the stable world he’s worked so hard for inside out.
Note: Love on the Line books can be read in any order, but best fits the numbered order.
Goodreads * Amazon
Lines on the Mirror
Love on the Line Book 1
Martin has always done everything his parents ever asked, never making waves, but never learning how to say no either. Then his new partying neighbors introduce him to a different lifestyle that pushes his limits.
The only thing keeping him grounded is getting back in touch with his first love, Daltrey, who moved across the country when they were still teenagers. Now, he’s a successful artist and plays by his own rules. He wants Martin but won’t compromise his morals.
When Martin lets his new friends drag him down until he hits bottom, can he ever find his way back to Daltrey and take control of his life?
Note: Love on the Line books can be read in any order.
Goodreads * Amazon
Lynn Michaels lives and writes in Tampa, Florida where the sun is hot and the Sangria is cold. When she’s not writing she’s kayaking, hanging with her husband, or reading by the pool. Lynn writes Male/Male romance because she believes everyone deserves a happy ending and the dynamics of male characters can be intriguing, vulnerable, and exciting. She has both contemporary and paranormal titles and has been writing since 2014. Her stories don’t follow any set guidelines or ideas, but come from her heart and contain love in many forms.
Website * Facebook * Facebook Readers Group * Facebook ARC Group * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
$10 Amazon Gift Card
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Book Tour and Giveaway: Vampocalypse by E.S. Brown

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Fantasy, giveaway, Sci Fi

≈ 3 Comments

Vampocalypse
by E.S. Brown
Genre: SciFi Fantasy
Vampires have infiltrated the highest offices of the United States government.
Secretly working with top scientists in the CDC and the nation’s most prestigious universities, this clandestine network creates the ultimate weapon for the undead: a particle bomb that, once detonated, transforms any humans within the blast radius into vampires. The world’s human leaders deploy nuclear weapons in a desperate attempt to quell the out-of-control vampire infestation. In their quest for global domination, the vampires propel the world into the greatest of all wars. A nuclear winter envelops the planet, which provides a haven for the vampires to rise up and fully realize their domination over humankind.
Prater Saxon, a half-human/half-vampire survivor in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of the war, lives alone in a world in ruins. Despite his efforts to maintain his solitude as he makes his way through the desolate wastelands, Prater finds himself drawn into a new war brewing between the humans and vampires.For millennia, humans ruled the Earth.
Their rule…may have finally come to an end.
VAMPOCALYPSE is a dark, gritty, post-apocalyptic tale of survival in a land out of resources, high in crime, and overrun with vampires. When the military can’t stop the danger, it’s up to one man to lead the charge against annihilation.
Fans of The Walking Dead will love E.S. Brown’s newest novel.
Goodreads * Amazon
Book Trailers
https://youtu.be/9lUlutWb85Y
https://youtu.be/Ua94pqKJ5KQ
https://youtu.be/O63pDA52iSk
https://youtu.be/h5Uys3h-GU8
E.S. Brown has lived nearly his entire life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, which has provided the ideal climate for him to foster his love of writing. He is fueled by an overactive imagination and caffeine – a perfect storm that has translated into many late nights researching and working on any number of fantastical tales waiting to be told.
His interests include a love of living a healthy lifestyle, inspiring others, and simply enjoying life and all its wonders. VAMPOCALYPSE is his second novel, following the release of STARPHOENIX in 2014. He is also a poet and is working on a self-help book (a journey of healing following his divorce in 2014). Other works in progress include sequels to Starphoenix and Vampocalypse, as well as a supernatural spy-thriller tentatively titled CODENAME: SCARLETT.
E.S. Brown lives in Puyallup, Washington, where he balances writing with his day job and his cat and his two amazing kiddos.
Website * Facebook * Vampocalypse * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads
$10 Amazon gift card & a Vampocalypse T-shirt (black, logo’d with book title and quote from book)
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Release Blitz: Path of the Spirit Runner by L.H. Leonard

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Fantasy, Release Event

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Rootstock Saga, Book 2
Epic Fantasy
Date Published: February 29, 2020
Publisher: Each Voice Publishing

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Gifted or cursed? Isobel is a healer, and the Hawks who accepted her, broken and different as she was, need her help. But she must hide the truth behind her healing power. She is an empath.

John Deighton, The Prophet, is back in Innis and stoking the embers of bigotry and superstition, scouring the realm and imprisoning mindgifted Aurels. When he corners Isobel, will she fight back or succumb to her old fears and lingering scars of the Beast of Monaughty? Will she answer the call of a healer if it costs her everything she loves?

Far across the sea, Tobias Buchanan is racing against time to build New Rhynn as a haven for his clan. As the noose of oppression squeezes tighter in Innis, the Hawks may soon be forced to choose between their homeland and their way of life. Can he earn a place for his Hawks amongst the Este of Tallu? Can he prove Rhynns are worthy of their trust?

Meanwhile, the Este are discovering their own place in the Awakening and the Joining. Spirit runners grow more powerful by the year, and the Mists hover closer over Tallu. But will it be enough when the water rises? Will they be ready before the cycle ends?

Path of the Spirit Runner is the enthralling continuation of the Rootstock Saga. Evolution and oppression. Magical mindgifts and dragon science. The characters you loved in Legend of the Storm Hawks come of age and weave their own threads in the Patterns.

Other Books in the Rootstock Saga Series:


Legend of the Storm Hawks
Rootstock Saga, Book 1
Publisher: Each Voice Publishing
Published: January 2020

Someday soon, your world will end. Ending is not as final as it sounds. Our world has ended before. When it does, be patient. Those of your time will linger and watch new cycles unfold. Some will walk this spinning blue rock again. A few will shape its destiny.

Get lost in the story. The richly detailed fantasy adventure you’ve been looking for is here. Stunning world-building. Sweeping cast of unforgettable characters. A riveting saga of the magic evolving in us all. Perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Brent Weeks, and Brandon Sanderson.

Legend of the Storm Hawks introduces the Rootstock Saga, four novels all due to release in 2020. Not a light read, this is serious fantasy for serious fantasy fans. Set on a future Earth, our own history echoes from the shadows. Adversity awakens gifts in this tale of evolution and survival. Science meets fantasy in a burgeoning of psychic and psionic power, and the mindgifted struggle with bigotry, abuse, theocracy, gender roles, climate change, and the temptations of power and privilege. Their intricately interwoven POV voices and plots converge in a long, rewarding end game.

A master player convinces the pawn the move is its own. Nigel has been at the game longer than most, but lately the pawns keep turning into rogue knights. It’s damned inconvenient of them, considering the world is about to end again.

The Watchers will soon declare this cycle over, as they have so many cycles before, shrugging off yet another rise and fall of humankind, and giving the dragons another turn at dominion.

Brynmohr is King of the Firstborn, and Twelvestones is the last bastion of a once-mighty nene dynasty. As the first people to walk the earth, the Firstborn consider it their birthright to rule over mankind. Half-breeds between their kinds are always sterile, but the daughters born of Brynmohr’s irrational affection for a woman are defying the Patterns.

Sethlyan and Isobel are unaware they’re expendable pawns in an increasingly complex game. Seth is the second son of the Second of Aleron. He’s tired of hearing rumors he and his friends are the prophesied Storm Hawks, destined to free Rhynn from centuries of oppression. He knows better. So does the Other, the voice only he can hear.

Isobel survived the Beast of Monaughty. Her father is dead, but his brutality haunts her. When her brother, the Rhi’Iverach, forges an alliance with the Hawks of Aleron, Isobel finds herself promised to a stranger named Sethlyan.

Her trust is hard to earn. His is hard to give.

A deadly attack leaves them with a telepathic bond neither wants, and awakens mindgifts they struggle to accept. When rebellion brings Nigel and his charges to the precipice of war, they must choose between hiding their secrets or wielding their power, fighting their oppressors or sacrificing freedom for peace.

Purchase Links
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About the Author


L.H. Leonard writes epic fantasy because she prefers imaginary worlds to dysfunctional real ones. She’s been a technologist (computer geek and manager thereof) in the financial and media industries for most of her career, and sidelines as micro-publisher Each Voice Publishing. When getting paid doesn’t matter, she’s an animal rescuer, artist, almost-master gardener, and a surprisingly good cook.

She and her husband live happily ever after in Georgia, where their forever home is a short trek from the Chattahoochee River through woods filled with deer, coyotes, owls, the occasional bear, and of course, hawks.

Their progeny are creative individualists, the eldest of whom has given them a small tribe of grandchildren. They’re the real Children of Promise.


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Blog Tour: A Venomous Love by Chris Karlsen

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, Historical, Suspense

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Title: A Venomous Love (Bloodstone, #3) Author: Chris Karlsen Genre: Historical Suspense set in Victorian London Release Date: February 28, 2020 Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

A veteran, Detective Rudyard Bloodstone has fought a brutal battle and witnessed war horrors that haunt his nightmares. Now one of those horrors has followed him home from Africa.

A vicious predator, the Cape cobra, can kill a man in thirty minutes. A suspect using the snake as a weapon in robberies is terrorizing London.

When the crimes escalate into murder, a victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill, becomes the focus of the killer. After several attempts on her life, Scotland Yard threatens to take over the high profile case. With few leads to follow, Bloodstone and his partner must now fight department politics and catch the killer before Underhill becomes another murder victim.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

Tweet: #BlogTour Venomous Love (Bloodstone Series, #3) By @AuthorCKarlsen #Historicalfiction #HistoricalSuspense #BAPpr #ReadingList 2020

 
“I demand to see a detective. Immediately!”
Ruddy, and his partner, Archie, looked up from their paperwork toward the station lobby. The man making the demand wore a top hat and well-cut frock coat. Dennis Strong, the desk sergeant, came from behind the raised lobby desk to speak with the man. Their rapid exchange of words swiftly degenerated into a heated discussion. Vigorous gestures from the man’s free hand were accompanied by the usual narrowing eyes citizens employ to emphasize displeasure.
“That turned to shit fast,” Ruddy said.
Top Hat, as Ruddy dubbed him, banged a shiny black cane on the floor several times, stressing his point. Each man leaned in as they made their points. Sergeant Strong held his ground. Broad-chested with thighs like ham hocks and biceps like a normal man’s thighs, he had the civilian inching back.
“How long do you give before Strong snaps that cane in two?” Ruddy asked.
“Forgive the pun, but I’ve no idea what possesses people to give him stick. The man is solid as a pillar postbox.” Archie gave a small shake of his head.
A chubby-cheeked, thin-lipped woman in her forties swayed as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back. She had stood behind and to the side of Top Hat as he argued with Strong.
Ruddy read the sergeant’s lips as he told the man no. The woman stepped forward and started to speak when Top Hat grabbed her by the elbow and forced her behind him. She yanked her arm from his grasp and gave him a glacier melting glare.
 

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. The newest is The Bloodstone Series. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and five wild and crazy rescue dogs.

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Book Blitz: A Widow’s Tale by Frances Paul

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, Suspense, Thriller

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A Widow’s Tale
Frances Paul
Publication date: January 21st 2020
Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

A trained killer. One kill list. A world of hurt.

In this novel, author Frances Paul introduces a complex and driven young lady determined to uncover the truth surrounding the murders of her parents and to bring to justice the people responsible for the cruel act.

Karina Navarre, a Cuban national, lived a life that would be described as anything but easy. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, Karina’s life spiraled out of control, until a former KGB officer agreed to take her under his wing and train her.

Eight years later, the girl who has been discarded and forgotten is introduced to the underworld – resilient and ready to take her life back. But when tragedy strikes again, Karina turns into a force to be reckoned with, a woman out for revenge.

Fueled by her grief, Karina sets off on a breathtaking journey of twists and turns, fighting in a world where women are deemed inferior. But she’s determined to avenge the deaths of those she lost, even if that means risking everything including her own life in the process. Karina Navarre has a list, and she’s crossing off names…one by bloody one.

Thrilling, unpredictable, fast-paced, and powered by a grieved widow’s inexorable sense of duty.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Prologue
New Year’s Eve
1996
Santiago del Estero, Argentina

“This is fantastic, Princesa?”

“Yes, papa. I saved the best for last.”

“I see that.” Carlos much admired his daughter’s painting of their old house in Trelew, Argentina. In front of the house stood Bella, Karina’s dog. A Maltese who passed a year prior. Bella was an old dog, fifteen years old when she passed away. She was part of the Navarre family and played a major role in Karina’s upbringing. She took the death harder than anyone.

“This is your late Christmas and New Year’s present.” Karina explained to her father.

“It was worth the wait.” Carlos carried his ten-year old in his arms and kissed her temple. Gloria Navarre strolled into the living room with two champagne flutes and offered one to her husband.

“You know what we need to do before the clock strikes midnight?”

“What?” Karina looked up at her mom expectantly.

“Share our New Year’s resolutions.”

“What is a New Year’s resolution?” Asked a puzzled Karina, still seated on her father’s lap.

“It’s a promise you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad in the New Year.”

Karina thought to herself for a moment, “I promise to share more.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Gloria grinned.

“…and eat all the veggies you sneak into my meals.” Karina quickly added.

Both Gloria and Carlos laughed.

“Let’s set realistic goals.” Teased Carlos.

“What about you, mama?”

A sudden thud behind the door seized Carlos’s attention. He would have ignored it as nothing more than his paranoia playing tricks on him if a second and much louder thud did not follow the first. He quickly stood, forcing Karina off his lap. He edged toward the windows and the first clue he discovered was the foot of one of his guards sticking out in the hallway.

He instantly paled. Gloria noticing her husband’s predicament, placed her finger to her lips, a sign of silence to Karina. She grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and forced her underneath the sofa.

Bang! The door suddenly swung open. Five men garbed in black and carrying weapons marched in with steady steps. They each had blades tucked inside their belts, except for one. The leader! He stepped away from the group, distancing himself from the masses and demonstrating his authority with self-importance. He wore a tailored dark suit and dark dress shirt. His shoes were polished to a gloss. All five men were dressed sharply, but the leader stood out. Gloria Navarre stood terrified, shuddering with terror behind her husband. Karina sensing danger remained unmoving. The ten-year old knew exactly what to do as she had been rehearsing for years with her mother. Gloria always cautioned her, there are many monsters in the world that’d want to hurt us because of who we are and what we represent and she must be ready when and if that occurred. Though Karina never believed or understood her, she went along with the exercise anyway to pacify her mother’s fears. Be as silent as the grave, her mom had told her. Under no circumstance should you reveal yourself or let the enemy know where you are hiding and tonight she did just that. She couldn’t see the faces of the beasts that invaded their home, but she saw their shoes. Her eyes were fixated on the glossier pair. It stood right in front of her father’s bare feet.

“Carlos Navarre,” a deep voice said, probably from the man with the shiny feet, “this was easier than I thought it’d be.” his cold chortle filled the noiseless room.

“Mrs. Navarre.” his voice was deeply aggrieved.

“Tomas?” her father’s voice responded, “You’ve some nerves storming into my home as if you own me. What is the meaning of this?”

“Ah, be careful now.” The deep voice warned, “It’s a new day. You lost before the battle began. I am taking over your empire and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. Your men, at least those in the building are all gone. You are done, Navarre. If you’re as wise as you have in the past portrayed yourself to be, you’ll be reciting your final prayers, pleading for clemency for your soul before I squeeze this trigger.”

“You traitorous bastard. Tell me, what coerced you to act against the hand that has fed you all these years? You were nothing. I made you and this is how you repay me?”

“You are a weak man, Navarre. You call yourself the boss. The Don.” he said with a slight chuckle, “You are a joke, a phony. We did all your dirty work while you sat on your high horse and collected. I don’t answer to weak men, not anymore.”

“You’ll never survive in our world with this kind of betrayal under your belt. No one will trust you. Think very hard about what you are doing.”

“Oh, I have. See, while you were seated on your throne, filling your belly from our blood and sweat, I was preparing for this defining moment. I’ve looked forward to this day for a very long time.” he crowed with insolence.

“You were always in my home, seated at my table with my family, breaking bread and today you kiss me on my cheek?” Carlos said incredulously.

“You give me too much credit. I am no Judas. You sealed your fate, Carlos. I am just here to ensure your crossover goes smoothly.” he released the safety on the gun and aimed it at Carlos’s head. That was the moment little Karina realized she knew the monster. She thought the voice sounded familiar but her feeble nerves had compromised her brain. It was her father’s good friend, Uncle Tomas, but why’d he do this? She mused.

“This is absurd, Tomas. This is between us. Let my wife go, and we can handle this as men.”

“As you wish.” Tomas said right before a loud ear-piercing sound filled the room. Within seconds, her mother’s eyes were gazing directly at her. Blood streaming down her temple. Her eyes were wide open but appeared lifeless and Karina knew right away that her mother was gone.

A deep agonizing scream from her father erupted through the room.

“There it is. I let her go. Now we handle this as men.” Tomas motioned with his weapon between him and Carlos.

Still staring into her mother’s cold eyes, Karina whimpered in absolute silence. Unceasing tears poured down her face, spilling over her hands. “Mummy?” she mouthed.

“I’ll destroy you, Tomas.” her father said, right before another dreadful sound emitted and just as she feared, his body slumped on top of her mother’s. She shut her eyes for a moment and sharply inhaled.

The monster’s feet hovered over the corpses for a long moment before he spoke again, “Let’s get out of this rubbish dump.”

“How about the kid?” One of his followers said.

Silence filled the room like an invisible cloud as the men pondered over the question. Heavy footsteps suddenly hurried through the room, then ascended the staircase. Slamming of doors and screams erupted from every corner of the building. With both her hands covering her own mouth to suppress a harrowing scream from sliding out, Karina closed her eyes tightly and prayed. Her little heart raced frenziedly. It was so loud, she feared the men left in the room could hear it too. Be as quiet as the grave. Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears.

“She’s just a stupid girl. What can she do?” Tomas finally said. To some degree, he sounded hesitant, even to himself.

“Tomas?” One of his men protested.

“Do you want to put a bullet into a little girl’s heart?” Anger spewed out of him.

There was no response.

“Or perhaps you want to adopt her?”

Still, no response.

“Leave that dirty little thing. She’ll just turn into a whore like the rest of them if she’s not dead within two years.”

“Did you find the sleazeball?” he snarled, referring to Carlos’s best friend and second in command, Savio Cardozo.

“Not yet.”

“Find him. The takeover is not successful until he is put down.”

The frightening sound of additional bullets filled the room as he shot extra holes into her father to certify his demise.

After some time, the footsteps receded, and she cautiously dragged her body forward to gain a full length view of the monster who destroyed her entire life in one night before he exited the room. Disheartened, she broke down into hysterical tears when she established, it was indeed, Uncle Tomas.

Leuven, Belgium

Present Day

A serene night. The stars shone brightly like diamonds. The full moon hung low, illuminating the path, and casting a glow along her vision as she peered through the night vision scope of Ruby, her sniper rifle. Designed to travel as far as 1.25 miles (2.01 km) to her intended target with no hitches. Tonight, her position from the fat bastard she was contracted forty-eight hours earlier to put down like a sick dog was close to two thousand yards. She sighed, savoring the tranquil moment of the gentle winds blowing through her hair and calming the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

She lived for moments like these. The moment the bullet from her rifle travels undetected through the quiet night and lodges itself at home in the heart or brain. Her reputation to date was unimpeachable. She was considered a Grade A sniper, and listed amongst the top ten of the world’s best snipers. She had no knowledge the true identities of her superiors, or acquainted with their location, nor did she care to know. Her job was to eliminate. Plain and simple. An app was installed on a distinctive phone given to her by the agency, where she received notifications when awarded with a contract. The app was designed to disappear from the phone once a contract has been fulfilled. The details provided were typically the name of the target, location and contract amount, no negotiations. Not that she ever had the need to negotiate. She got paid more than she cared to admit, besides, she hardly needed the money. She hadn’t received a notification in six months. Ruby, her rifle grew restless and so did she. Twice a week during those excruciating six months, she’d dismantle her then put her back together. She repeated the practice daily without breaking a sweat.

Tonight’s kill was greatly required to quench her thirsty dark soul.

In a prone position, lying flat on her stomach with both legs spread apart, her left hand rested casually on the biceps of the right, while her right finger hovered over the trigger. Soft winds whistled in her ears and she heeded attentively. Ruby’s trajectory data was set to its precise setting, and she was anxious to squeeze the trigger her index finger was keenly massaging.

Three black Alfa Romeo SUVs pulled up seconds later. Three men in suits simultaneously jumped down from each vehicle before the target exited the vehicle in the middle. He slickly buttoned his suit jacket, scarcely turning his head to the left. She squeezed the trigger and listened as the bullet traveled in the silence of the night through the calming winds at 1,700 miles (2,735.88 km) per hour. It sliced through the center of his forehead within 2.12 seconds. Bullseye!

In just under three minutes, she’d detached the scope and packed Ruby carefully into its case. Just as she jumped into the backseat of the waiting car that was to transport her to an airstrip to board a private jet, her cellphone vibrated inside the pocket of her jacket. She discarded the red leather gloves shielding her hands from the bitter cold and fetched it. Caller unknown, it read.

“Yes?” she answered with a bit of irritation in her voice.

“It’s Savio.” he said, his tone was grimmer than courteous.

“Why are you calling from an unknown number?” she questioned.

“Are you on your way back home?” he countered her question with another.

“What’s going on?” she repeated the pattern.

He remained silent but his heavy breathing could be heard at the end of the line.

“Savio?” she called, growing impatient. After every kill, she performed a ritual. And that was to sit in silence, meditating for a few seconds and patting herself on the back for a job well done. This ill-timed call hindered with her sacramental process.

“Hurry back. We have a problem.” he cautioned.

“Just spit it out?” she had nothing but ultimate respect for Savio, her father-in-law and late father’s best friend but at this moment, his interruption irritated the energized heartbeat she earned from the excitement she just encountered.

“It’s Thian.”

“What about him?”

“He’s dead!” he whimpered, “Do you hear me? They took my boy.” his voice came in a broken growl.

Her hands fell in her lap. The sudden motion caused the phone to fall and disappear under the front seat. Her stare remained at the back of the headrest in sheer dismay. Her mind bizarrely rid of any thoughts.

“We are here, Ms. Navarre.” Karina heard the indistinct voice of her chauffeur.

She looked up and offered him a blank stare. No idea how long she had been stuck in that stupor state. She assumed a lengthy amount of time as the mileage between her last position and the hangar was just about 40.2 kilometers. Adding up to twenty minutes of oblivion. She gathered her bearings and stepped out of the car, grabbing Ruby from the seat beside her.

The pilot bobbed his head at her as she ascended the airstair toward him but received nothing in return. Once settled in her seat, she stared out the window in silence until the plane was safely in the air. She heaved a silent sigh and stiffened her stance. The nerves in her neck coiled, pulling every vein connecting her inner organs. Her skin inflamed with rage as her body temperature climbed at a reckless rate. She waved away the hostess who approached her with a glass of champagne. BBC news blared through the television hanging from the overhead.

BREAKING NEWS ― Petrak Novak, former Czech Prime Minister was assassinated at 21:48 at the front entrance of the Park Inn Hotel where he had been staying for the past two days. No report on whether he was on official duty or a private visit. The Belgian Federal Police team are actively engaged in the hunt for the assassin who might still be in the district. Road blocks have been placed all over the city as the manhunt continues. We will keep you informed as we receive more information on this cowardly act.


Author Bio:

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana and now living in Cincinnati, Ohio. A banker, wife and mother of two amazing kids. She finds writing to be a great passion of hers and a path she was born to follow. She began by writing short stories at a young age. Now, she has four published books and working on a few more projects. She’s a crazy tea lover, loves to travel, eat, and enjoys learning about different cultures. Authors she is inspired by are Sidney Sheldon, Nora Roberts and Jeffrey Archer. Hope you enjoy her books as greatly as she enjoyed producing them.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Release Day: Part One and Two – Areion Fancy by Esther E. Schmidt

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Contemporary Romance, Release Event

≈ Leave a comment

AREION FURY MC COLLECTION
PART ONE & TWO by Esther E. Schmidt
RELEASE SALE: $4.99 each (Price will change to $7.99 each on March 9, 2020)

PART ONE:
All platforms: books2read.com/AreionFuryMC1
PART TWO:
All platforms: books2read.com/AreionFuryMC2

*** WARNING; The Areion Fury MC collection is filled with off the charts chemistry. Each story will leave you wanting more! ***

Meet these bad boy bikers with a heart for only one woman. To make it a bit interesting, that woman needs to be a badass herself. The Areion Fury MC collection part one and part two contain the correct reading order of all the books in this series.

Full length, fast-paced novels filled with hot, alpha biker romance and their happily ever after.

Join Esther’s reading group:
facebook.com/groups/EsthersElite

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Book Blitz: Trucker by Marteeka Karland

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, New Adult

≈ 3 Comments

Trucker
Marteeka Karland
(Bones MC, #6)
Published by: Changeling Press
Publication date: February 28th 2020
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Helen — I’ve made some bad choices in my life. The worst was falling for a man who kidnapped me and held me hostage. He wants my baby. Why, I have no idea, but there’s no way he’s getting it without a fight. Once this is over, assuming I’m still alive, I’m going to need some serious help.

Trucker — The small redhead blows me away at first sight. And not only because of the knife sticking out of her very pregnant belly. She’s fierce as a tiger. Brave as any member of Bones. I know I have to protect her, no matter what kind of trouble she’s in. Once she’s healed, I know she’s going to be mine. I just have to convince her of it. Until then, I’ll protect her, and her kid, with my very life. Once the asshole who did this is dead, then I’ll prove to her why I’m the best choice to be her man.

WARNING: These men play for keeps, and they don’t tolerate men who hurt women and children. They protect their own to the death, and God help anyone who gets in their way. Don’t expect the warm and fuzzies, but you can always expect a HEA and a steamy good time.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

“You said you were already several weeks pregnant when all this happened. Where’s the father?”

She looked away again, ashamed. “No idea. I met him at a bar. We got drunk and had a good time. Obviously we weren’t careful, and the next thing I know, I’m making a few changes to my life.” She looked back, needing to judge Trucker’s reaction. She didn’t expect the big grin she found. “What?”

“Nothin’,” he said, raising his hands, a gesture of surrender. “Just thinkin’ that if your baby daddy ain’t around, that makes my life a lot simpler.”

Helen couldn’t help it. Her jaw dropped and the breath left her lungs. “How can you even say that? How horrible!” She wanted to punch him right in the mouth. “I’m all alone. My child has no father, and I’ve just been through the most horrific thing I’ve ever imagined! How can me not having someone around to protect me and my daughter be a good thing?”

Trucker was completely unapologetic. “Means you’ll need someone around to fill that gap.” He shrugged. “Sounds like your baby daddy ain’t qualified in that department so I’ll have to take over.”

She blinked, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “I beg your pardon?”

“I said, I’m taking over as your baby daddy.” The man was grinning like an ape, obviously finding the whole situation hilarious.

“Would you stop saying ‘baby daddy’? I hate that!”

“Sorry. Let me rephrase. I’ll be taking over as protector for you and your daughter. You’ll stay here with me and the rest of the club, and you’ll have all the help and safety you need.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

“Do you want a say in this?” Again, his gaze was intense. He seemed to look straight into her soul when he wanted to. Helen wanted what he was offering more than just about anything else in the world right now. She wanted that security. But was it real? Had she traded one prison for another? “Or do you want me to make the decision for you?”

“I…”

“That’s what I thought. You’re afraid, and that’s natural. I think you want someone to force your hand.” He picked up her hand again, and this time she didn’t pull away. “You have to be here for a while anyway to heal. Get to know us. I promise you’ll feel better about the whole thing.” While he talked to her, he slowly brought her hand to his lips.

When he finished, he kissed her fingers gently, his mouth lingering far longer than she should have let him. Helen’s stomach rolled. It was the first intimate contact she’d had since her one-night stand. She tried to put down her reaction to lack of human contact, but she doubted that was the only reason for it.

She burned at his simple touch. Shivers raced over her body, and she broke out in a light sweat. Then he turned her hand over and brought her palm to his lips. Inhaling, he closed his eyes and kissed the center. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes and stared straight into hers. There was longing there. Not just a sexual hunger, though that was present too, but something inside him that connected with something inside her. He’d been with her nearly the entire time she’d been at the Bones clubhouse. He’d been unfailingly gentle. He was good with her daughter, whom she’d yet to name. Now, he indicated he wanted to share more with her. Was she ready?

No. Not yet. But she could feel her resistance to him wasn’t what it should be. Trucker could break down those walls with little effort. The question was, how long would he try before he gave up? How long did she want to resist him?

Author Bio:

Romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plane ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Book Blitz: What She Didn’t See by Heather Wynter

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, Suspense, Thriller

≈ 2 Comments

What She Didn’t See
Heather Wynter
Publication date: February 28th 2020
Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

An American tourist in Rome. A secret service agent on vacation. An international assassin… What could go wrong?

Gracie Colby and Lena Boyd are wrapping up the tour of Italy Lena has planned her whole life.

Luke Barnes, a Secret Service Agent, is on vacation in Rome.

Before she knows what happened to her, her friend is dead, and Gracie finds herself swept into a whirlwind of danger, intrigue, and international forces conspiring to destroy her. Teaming up with Luke to survive, Gracie is forced to question herself and decide if she is capable of outrunning the assassin before he can get to them.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

He set off across the street, and she followed, not wanting to be alone in this city of death. Her heel crunched in glass fragments. He held up the tape that designated this a crime scene, and she ducked under it. It was all pretend. She saw herself doing everything, looking like an actor on a cop show.

The car riddled with bullet holes belonged to the movie too. The prop crew had put that tire there for her to cower behind for safety from the gunfire. She peered down at the space where she’d taken shelter from the danger, the place where Lena had pushed her to protect her when the shooting started.

She gulped down the lump in her throat. The last thing Lena did in this life was save her. She didn’t save herself. She was too thoughtful for that. While Grace was thinking about dragging Lena back home to start their lives as adults, Lena was saving her from that … that …

She looked up to find Luke inspecting her. Could he see what a terrible friend she had been? Had Lena’s sacrifice left visible scars on her skin?

“What do you know about the shooter?” she asked to distract them both.

Author Bio:

Heather Wynter grew up in California, where she still lives with her two dogs and three cats which she lovingly refers to as her zoo. She’s a sucker for any period drama and a good romance. When she isn’t reading or writing out what is in her wild imagination, she’s probably at Disneyland or traveling around the globe.

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Cover Reveal: Love Is What You Bake It by Effie Kammenou

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Contemporary Romance, Cover Reveal

≈ Leave a comment

Title: Love is What You Bake of it Author: Effie Kammenou Genre: Contemporary Romance; Single Dad Release date: March 24th Designer: Tugboat Designs ( https://www.tugboatdesign.net/ ) Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

The only love Kally Anadarakis is baking is in the form of the sweet treats she whips up in her café, The Coffee Klatch.

Kally never believed herself to be a person worthy of love, but when an intoxicating man she considered out of her league pursues her, she risks everything to be with him. Later, when tragedy strikes, truths are revealed that leave Kally brokenhearted and untrusting.

Eight years later, Kally is a successful pastry chef running the café she’d always dreamed of owning. With a home of her own, a profession she’s passionate about, and the support and love of friends and family, Kally is content with the life she has carved out for herself.

Until the day Max Vardaxis walks into her café…

With arguing parents, meddling relatives, an overly energetic grandmother, a man-crazy best friend, and the long ago, mysterious disappearance of a grandfather, this new man in town is just one more complication in Kally’s life, if not the main one.

Kally must now decide whether to keep her heart safe or to once again take a ‘whisk on love.’

 

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Effie Kammenou is a believer that it is never too late to chase your dreams, follow your heart or change your career. She is proof of that. At one time, long ago, she’d thought that, by her age, she would have had an Oscar in her hand after a successful career as an actor. Instead, she worked in the optical field for 40 years and is the proud mother of two accomplished young women.

Her debut novel, Evanthia’s Gift, is a women’s fiction multigenerational love story and family saga, influenced by her Greek heritage, and the many real-life accounts that have been passed down. She continues to pick her father’s brain for stories of his family’s life in Lesvos, Greece, and their journey to America. Her interview with him was published in a nationally circulated magazine.

Evanthia’s Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga was a 2016 award finalist in the Readers Favorite Awards in the Women’s Fiction category. Waiting for Aegina is Book Two in The Gift Saga and Chasing Petalouthes is Kammenou’s latest release, completing the series.

Effie Kammenou is a first generation Greek-American who lives on Long Island with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, or posting recipes on her food blog, cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com, you can find her entertaining family and friends or traveling for ‘research.’

As an avid cook and baker, a skill she learned from watching her Athenian mother, she incorporated traditional Greek family recipes throughout the books.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Hofstra University.

 

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