Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 228
July 9, 2021
Review: THE LIFE THIEF by Cherie Mitchell
Becky was a successful realtor with a healthy bank account and sharing a lovely home with her boyfriend. But she’s too strung out and needed a break, so she decided to take a solo vacation to unwind and decompress. A double-booking at a resort had her bunking with a complete stranger named Alice, who turns out to be grungy, selfish, and inconsiderate. How can you share anything with her? This was supposed to be her vacation. But Becky was willing to tough it out, but her roommates odd behavior would make her glad NOT to see Alice ever again. Think again. At work, Becky would be in need of a temp and, lo and behold….she’s BAAACCKK. That’s when Alice stars to befriend Becky.
This sounded interesting, but the story had too much lag, especially pertaining to mundane things like Becky getting a tattoo and her losing her cat. Alice seemed non-existent and non-threatening for the most part. Perhaps the story was lulling us into a false sense of security? The story could’ve done a better job at making Alice seem like a threat. Yes, there was a creep factor with some mild suspense, but it was nothing to get my undies in a bunch.
My rating: 3 stars
July 6, 2021
Blog Tour: FINDING FAMILY IN A FAR-AWAY LAND by Amanda Wall
Join us for this tour from June 21 to July 16, 2021!Book Details:
Book Title: Finding Family in a Far-Away Land: An Adoption Story by Amanda Wall
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 4-10), 44 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book, Adoption
Publisher: BookBaby
Release date: March 29, 2021
Content Rating: G for everyone.
Book Description:
Every adoption experience is uniquely different but the yearning to have unconditional family love is universal. Two Indian sisters, Priya and Ari, experience what it's like to be adopted into a multi-cultural, interracial family. Walk alongside these two charming, dynamic girls as they journey through the adoption transition to a new country full of new experiences!
"Finding Family in a Far-Away Land" is a pensive and sometimes comical book that demonstrates how children can experience the same journey quite differently. A glossary of cultural terms is included so that all can learn and enjoy what Ari and Priya cherish about their Indian roots. This story is meant to be a resource to those hoping to learn about one family's adoption experience― and may even help a child process their own adoption story. The intended audience for this book is children ages 4-10.
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ IndieBound
add to goodreads
My review: This is the story of a little Indian girl named Priya. As she boards a plane, she recounts what life was like in her poor Indian village, which prompted her transition to an orphanage, where the Aunties promised her a Forever Family.
Story was filled with plenty of fun, adorable, and colorful illustrations! The images had a simple and child-like reflection that made them quite charming. There was an endearing and honest quality as the character summarizes the whole process and what her new family was like. She notes the differences in their skin and the languages they spoke. “People in India had pet cows, not dogs.” It had funny, little comments. This strange, new land was perplexing to her, but also exciting. She goes on comparing the new world to her home country. “In India, the food is spicy and it’s hotter than 100 degrees.”
“Life in our new country was an everyday adventure!”
A fascinating journey of finding a family in a far-away land. Goes to show that no matter where you are, you can still learn new things and still be yourself.
My rating: 4 stars
Meet the Author:Amanda is a mother of four with a heart towards adoption. She lives in Colorado with her family but loves to travel and connect with others through their culture. Educating families on adoption is a passion for Amanda because the adoptees' voice is often unheard.
connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Tour Schedule:
June 21 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 21 - Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
June 22 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
June 23 – The Adventures of a Travelers Wife – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 24 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
June 25 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
June 28 –Older & Smarter? – book review / giveaway
June 29 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
June 30 – The Phantom Paragrapher – book review
July 1 – @twilight_teader – book review
July 1 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
July 2 – Reading is My Passion -book review
July 6 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway
July 6 - Sandra's Book Club - book review
July 8 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 9 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
July 9 - Pause for Tales - book revew / giveaway
July 12 – Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
July 13 – Splashes of Joy – book review / author interview / giveaway
July 14 – The Bespectacled Mother – book review
July 14 - I Read What You Write - book review / guest post / giveaway
July 15 – Sahar's Blog – book review / giveaway
July 16 – Books for Books – book review
Enter the Giveaway:
FINDING FAMILY IN A FAR-AWAY LAND Book Tour Giveaway
July 1, 2021
Blog Tour: KYLE'S LITTLE SISTER by Bon Hyung Jeong
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the KYLE'S LITTLE SISTER by BonHyung Jeong Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About the Book:
Title: KYLE'S LITTLE SISTER Author: BonHyung Jeong
Pub. Date: June 22, 2021
Publisher: JY
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 240
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
My name is Grace, not "Kyle's little sister!"
Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks—especially when you're the total opposite, someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!), and everyone calls you "Kyle's little sister" while looking disappointed that you're not more like him. I was really hoping I'd get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least I have my friends...until he finds a way to ruin that, too...! Argh! What do I have to do to get out of his shadow?!
INSERT YOUR REVIEW OR POST HERE!
About BonHyung Jeong:
BonHyung Jeong (Bon) studied Cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and Kyle's Little Sister is her debut graphic novel, made possible with the help of numerous people. She hopes to make connections with others through relatable stories. Currently living in Korea, she's always busy playing console games - exactly like someone in the book!
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of KYLE'S LITTLE SISTER, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
6/14/2021
Unconventional Quirky Bibliophile
Review
6/15/2021
Review
6/16/2021
Excerpt
6/17/2021
Review
6/18/2021
Review
6/19/2021
Excerpt
Week Two:
6/20/2021
Guest Post
6/21/2021
Review
6/22/2021
Review
6/23/2021
Review
6/24/2021
Review
6/25/2021
Review
6/26/2021
Excerpt
Week Three:
6/27/2021
Spotlight
6/28/2021
Review
6/29/2021
Review
6/30/2021
Guest Post
7/1/2021
Excerpt
7/2/2021
Review
7/3/2021
Guest Post
Week Four:
7/4/2021
Excerpt
7/5/2021
Review
7/6/2021
Review
7/7/2021
Excerpt
7/8/2021
Guest Post
7/9/2021
Review
Blog Tour: BAKE BELIEVE by Cori Cooper
Bake Believe
by Cori Cooper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Teen/YA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Cat Anderson doesn't want much out of life. Give her a circle of friends to giggle with, a few boys to flirt with, a cute outfit, and she is good to go! She especially could care less about food.
But food, it turns out, is a very big deal.
In Cat's family there is a secret too fantastic to be real. Something happens when Cat bakes.
Something amazing.
Something impossible.
Can it be true? Or is it Bake Believe?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Robyn saw the look on my face and sat back up. She reached for a corn tortilla and held it in front of my face. “See this?”
I nodded.
“This tortilla, by itself, is muy disgusting.”
Marissa clicked her tongue.
Robyn glanced at her mom but kept talking. “It is super bland all by itself, but if you add salsa or guacamole or something else, it’s deliciouso!” She spooned salsa down the center, rolled it up and took a bite to prove her point.
I nodded again, even though I had no idea what she was talking about.
As soon as she was done chewing, Robyn spread her hands out. “You don’t want a bland tortilla life, Cat; you want life with the salsa!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Since I was six years old I wanted to be a published Author. I still have all my early manuscripts, but don't ask to see them - my spelling was atrocious!
I'm a mama of four witty, movie quoting, awesome sauce kids - three teens and one preteen. Yes, they end up in my novels! Don't worry, names are changed to protect the innocent and everything is always GREATLY exaggerated! That's my super power.
I'm also wife to the cutest guy in the whole world. It's true! I'm not bias at all, really. We met in Middle School and got married after he served a mission for our Church. It's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't miss it for a plate full of Cinnamon Rolls.
Or anything else, actually!
I hope you have as much fun reading my stuff as I have writing it. The creative process is so fantastic, I just love every part of it!
https://www.facebook.com/coricooperau...
https://twitter.com/CoriCAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/authorcoric...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
https://www.amazon.com/Bake-Believe-C...
https://www.immortalworks.press/produ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Cori Cooper will be awarding a Bake Believe Apron (US Only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 29, 2021
Blog Tour: GHOSTS OF GUATEMALA by Collin Glavac
Spy Thriller
Date Published: 11-25-2019
Who can you trust when corruption and danger are a way of life?
The CIA never left Latin America, and is facing catastrophic blackmail at the hands of an erratic Guatemalan drug lord: the infamous patrón of Antigua – Pablo Puentes. Desperate for a swift solution, the agency calls in their black operative fixer: John Carpenter.
John is a cold-blooded professional ready for the job. But the mission doesn’t have a simple fix. Pablo has a disastrous kill switch in place.
John is still haunted by the mysterious death of his best friend who died on a far too similar mission, and now is uncertain about how much he can trust his handler or his sensual partner.
Back at the agency, tensions are running hot as the stench of corruption is growing to a boiling point. If things aren’t put to rights – and soon – the entire mission will go up in flames and take the CIA down with it.
Only John Carpenter can bring this drug lord to justice and get the answers he deserves.
Because this mission is personal…
If you like the relentless tension of Daniel Silva and the gritty reality of Lee Child then you’ll love this first book in the John Carpenter Trilogy!
Chapter 1
One hundred people a week are murdered in Guatemala. It is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, yet Antigua is known for its safety. That was because many cartels kept their children in Antigua. Teenage guards held shotguns guarding storefronts. They were never robbed. Who would be stupid enough to commit a crime with cartels keeping the city peaceful?
The government and local authorities were corrupt. This was known. Everything was owned and run by economic elites known as the oligarcas familias. The family of oligarchs. Mostly everyone else was poor.
Yet Antigua was called the ‘jewel of Guatemala’ because of its beauty.
Pablo Puentes believed in Antigua.
Pablo was slightly shorter than average and had a squatter frame, olive-brown skin and beady eyes. Anyone would recognize him as a Mayan. He was proud of this. He was one of the many whose descendants had originally flourished before Spanish conquest and colonialism had wiped the existing civilizations and created an underclass that lasted even today. But unlike the majority of Mayans in Guatemala who were poor and destitute, Pablo was wealthier than the city itself.
He lived on Cortega street, one of the richest neighbourhoods in the city, boasting a line of trees decorating either end, shading passersby from the sun. His estate was at the end of the street, vast and with ten foot walls, keeping itself hidden away from peering eyes. Vines crawled up the towering walls and were lined with barbed wire. It surrounded the largest courtyard in Antigua. Guards wearing camouflage uniforms and colored berets patrolled the walls and the dozens of long hallways and luxury suites. They held wicked Remington Model 870 tac-14 shotguns.
It had been two weeks since his brother Sandor Puentes had been killed. Pablo Puentes was now the new head of one of the largest cartels in Guatemala, and today would solidify his position more than anything he had done so far. But there was no wealth without danger.
“Tío, please,” Juan Puentes pleaded, folding his arms to stop himself from using them as he spoke. He was trying to live up to his station, and be the strong imposing man his father had been. “Blackmail has never been our business. Business is our business, no? What am I missing here?” His beret spun slightly as he shook his head. It was white, the only one among the others holding that color, distinguishing him as el comandante. Many guards in the room wore the new black berets marking them as Pablo’s chosen men while still others sported the red berets of common guards.
Pablo couldn’t have been more opposite, wearing a polo shirt with white and cream pants made of cotton. He sat with his legs spread wide and comfortable, elbows resting on the massive oak table. He radiated power.
“You are right Juan. Business is our business. Every opportunity seized.” Pablo raised a fist and clenched it. “You are thinking of money. This is a small thing to think about. I have money. You have money. We all have money. But now I have something no one else does.”
“Then keep it. Don’t give it away.”
Pablo smiled and shook his head like a man who refused to share a secret. “To become invincible, I must declare war.”
“Yes, but tío, this opens another front in a war we don’t need to-”
“And there is no need to call me tío. Uncle. I much prefer being your father.”
Juan grew quiet. After his father Sandor died Pablo had quickly married Isabella, Juan’s mother. Pablo was now both his uncle and stepfather.
Isabella sat beside Juan cradling a laptop. Her slender frame was cloaked in a loose, blood-red dress. She gave her son a look of sympathy then spoke softly to Pablo.
“Juan is right that these are not simple cartels, or even politicians to threaten or bribe, mi amor.”
Pablo pointed an index finger down at the table and opened his mouth to make a point but Isabella continued.
“I am not saying no. You decided this. Juanis simply being cautious. There is a reason he heads your security.”
“I am not being cautious,” Juan snapped, immediately regretting the rudeness shown to his mother as he caught her glare. He touched her shoulder lightly in unspoken apology, before turning back to Pablo. “I am asking you to be more ambitious. There is more we can do with this information.”
Pablo raised a hand to cut off Juan’s protests. It was clear Isabella would not sway him either. He had decided. Pablo reached for a small gray cell phone lying in the middle of the table. He opened it solemnly and handed it over to Isabella.
Isabella’s eyes flicked from her laptop screen to the phone. She punched in a number then handed the phone back to Pablo.
They waited as it rang.
Pablo did not put the phone on speaker for the benefit of his wife or stepson. He shared so much with them and kept few things even from his guards. He had a reputation of being strangely open and keeping little to no privacy. Yet even Pablo wanted this conversation to be kept from his family. This moment would be his own. He held the phone close to his ear.
The line continued to ring.
Juan pursed his lips, eyes fixated on the phone. Isabella’s face was a mask, unreadable.
There was a click. Static, then a breath.
“Go ahead.” The voice on the other end was hard and flat, and full of contempt.
Pablo smiled. His voice would not be the one they expected, and he reveled in this revealed surprise; the tension before a magician turns his hand.
“Your man is dead,”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“But perhaps you already knew that.”
Some static and a shuffling sound.
“Who is this?” It was a different voice now. Another man’s voice, hard, short, strong. A voice that gave commands instead of taking them.
“They call me the patrón of Antigua,” Pablo continued. “I have always liked the title.”
“Pablo Puentes.”
He was surprised how quickly the man had identified him. He had hoped for a little more playfulness in this exchange. “It seems you have heard of me.”
There was a brief pause, and Pablo thought he could hear the chattering of a computer keyboard. The voice spoke again.
“We know you front one of the largest illicit cartels in Latin America, dealing primarily in cocaine and sex trafficking. You extort protection money from half of Antigua. Money laundering. We know you have members of the oligarcha familia on your payroll - the respected López family voted to suppress the anti-corruption commission. We know you are currently located at 117 Cortega street. We know your wife Isabella Muñoz 43, and stepson, Juan Puentes, 27, and son Pablito Puentes, 8.”
“It seems you know quite alot about me.”
“We even know you killed your brother Sandor Puentes.Does Isabella know that, Pablo? What about Juan? Mr. Puentes, this is an office of the United States of America’s Central Intelligence Agency. We don’t know a lot about you. We know everything about you.”
Pablo had to admit, some of this was concerning. But a fire was lit in his mind and though Pablo’s fists clenched, his smile did not waver. Instead, if anything, his determination was steeled. His voice cut the air like a knife.
“Do you know about this, Mr. Central Intelligence Agency?”
Pablo turned to Isabella, smiling, and nodded to her. She smiled back and took his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. Then she took a breath, shook herself, and sent a simple email to the man they were speaking with.
Pablo waited patiently. There was the sound of keyboards now – he was sure there was more than one – and hushed whispers saying something incoherent. Finally, the voice replied.
“You think you’re clever Puentes. You’re not. We know about this.”
Pablo put one of his hands up, as if making a sign of surrender, even though the man on the other end of the line couldn’t see. He was enjoying himself. “Alright, alright. It seems there are no secrets. This is good. I hate secrets.” Pablo leaned forward in his chair and bared his teeth. “I’m sure the American people know about this if it is no secret.”
“If you send any of this information to the-”
“It is too bad you cannot do anything.”
“Pablo, it appears you misunderstand the sheer power of the United States of America. Within hours, a Reaper drone loaded with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles can be called to strike wherever we choose around the globe. Its blast is a focused fifty-foot kill radius. You and your family can run. We don’t miss. It doesn’t leave dirt in its crater because the thousand-degree Fahrenheit chemical reactions are too hot. It makes glass. I have 117 Cortega street prepared for a priority cue. All I have to do is give the word.”
“I don’t think the Guatemalan government would like that very much, or the United Nations for that matter.”
“For Christ’s sake we bankroll the United Nations. All I have to do,” the man broke up the sentence for emphasis, “is give. The. Word. Do you know what the word is Pablo? The word is go. I know my drone pilots personally. Maybe they should get to know you too.”
“My brother used to say it’s not what you do, it’s who you know.”
Silence.
“I disagreed with him. It is what you do. That is why he is dead and I am alive. Señor, I have a very long list of emails for respected American journalists who are very good writers, and they write for very curious citizens. If I am killed, these journalists will receive the same information I sent to you.”
More silence. Pablo considered for a moment that the line was dead. He continued anyway.
“My brother did not know what I could do. But you, you know what I can do. Perhaps you will be safe.”
The silence continued for a moment, then there came a sound of exasperation.
“What do you want? What bizarre stroke of madness made you think you could get something out of this?”
Pablo shrugged. “Maybe send some money. Maybe send some favors.” He leaned forward again. “But whatever you do or do not do does not matter. You cannot kill me. That is what you did not know. Now. You. Do.”
He ended the call. Pablo snapped the small cell phone in two pieces and tossed the remains on the table in front of him. Juan let out a breath of air through his teeth. Pablo gave him a sideways glance and winked. He probably hadn’t liked the way he had spoken about his late father. But Juan was his son now. He would be stronger. Juan would be part of something much bigger now.
Isabella stroked his leg, bringing him out of his reflections. “You have become the most powerful man in Guatemala, mi amor.”
“No,” said Pablo, stroking her cheek, although she wasn’t wrong. “I have become the most powerful man in America.”
About the Author
Collin Glavac is a Canadian born actor and writer who lives in the province of Ontario Canada. He has written, directed and acted in two original stage plays, In Real Life, and LoveSpell. He completed his Dramatic and Liberal Arts B.A. and M.A at Brock University.
Ghosts of Guatemala is his first novel.
Collin loves hearing from readers, so please don't hesitate to contact him by email at: collinglavac@gmail.com
Contact Links
Purchase Links
June 28, 2021
Blog Tour: AFTER THE WANTING by Elmer Seward
After the Wanting
by Elmer Seward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Rising Internet sensation or creepy-guy magnet?
Rachel's life is a muddle of highs and lows. Just as her popular product review vlog is taking off, she finds herself fleeing to the seclusion of Virginia's Eastern Shore to escape her most recent romantic disaster. Lex's single-minded pursuit of Rachel frightens her.
To be loved and to be safe - That's all she wants.
But terror awaits After the Wanting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
It was a calm night, no wind to speak of. On nights like this I see her.
I know it seems crazy, but true.
There’s a magic in the darkness. Magic and blood. The impossible becomes possible. Evil and good muddled in the inky depths. Life and death become sky and water on a moonless night with no discernable line between. In these moments, I see her. I touch her cheek but her face ripples and runs. And the blood. The blood flows all around. I cry out under the mocking stars. She sings in the wind. Her voice laughs in the rain. She calls and taunts.
I stop up my ears, but still she calls.
I must find her. I want this wanting, this haunting to stop.
I want…
But what comes after the wanting? What?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Elmer Seward was born and raised along the Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia. When he was growing up, the cemetery behind his house was his playground. The metaphorical theme of death and rebirth that figures prominently in his novels is probably influenced in some way by the time that his mother heard, through the screened window, a small voice crying for help. Rushing from the house and through the yard, she discovered her all-too-curious six-year-old son at the bottom of a freshly dug grave. In that moment, he discovered that trouble is much easier to get into than it is to get out of. Sometimes we need help getting out of the hole that we jump into willingly.
He is blessed to have a large blended family and is the reluctant servant of two crazy dogs, a Cocker Spaniel and a BruMaltChiYorkie (don't ask). All of these strongly influence the characters and events in his novels; however, his beautiful wife, Mitzi, is the true inspiration for the tender hearted but determined women in his stories.
Author Website - www.elmerseward.com
Author Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/ElmerSewardA...
Purchase After the Wanting - https://www.amazon.com/After-Wanting-...
The book will be on sale for only $0.99.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Elmer Seward will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 24, 2021
Blog Tour: THE ACADEMY SAGA by CJ Daly
The Academy Saga, Book I
Suspense Romance
Publisher: BrandlyLight Ink
Kate Connelly should be careful what she wishes for.
Just seventeen, she already feels like she’s suffocating. Since her mother’s death, her father’s basically checked out, so she’s stuck raising her brothers by herself out in the New Mexico scrub. All Kate wants is a little distraction from the same-ole, same-ole that is her life.
When two mysterious guys show up at the diner where she works, she thinks her wish has come true, until they start giving her a hard time. Like her life isn’t hard enough. Something about them niggles her, but she brushes it off. She’s never going to see them again anyway . . . right?
Then they appear in an alley one night to either rescue or kidnap her (she’s still not sure which) before disappearing like figments of her imagination.
Kate decides to put the bizarre encounters out of her mind. She has bigger problems to worry about: like that elite military academy that’s been pursuing her gifted little brother. When one of their cadets shows up in her small town, he creates instant pandemonium. And just happens to be one of those mysterious guys. Coincidence? Mama said there’s no such thing. And to always trust her instinct. But that might be kind of hard, because every time she’s around Cadet Peter Davenport, her gut starts flip-flopping on her. And her heart.
Can Kate keep it together long enough to stop Cadet Davenport’s mission? She’s about to find out. And—once again—how neatly life can be split into before and after.
Other Books in The Academy Saga:
The Academy Saga, Book II: Cadet-in-Training
Kate’s destiny has been determined for her.
Hidden out in the country for most her life, Kate Connelly suddenly wakes up, handcuffed to a hospital bed, in the psyche ward of The Academy. Her crime? Being “gifted.” And it’s Officer “Ranger” Nealson’s job to make her adhere to The Academy’s agenda for her. Even though he’s the one who drugged and dragged her in.
Kate’s hate for Ranger, and his academy, is at an all-time high.
Ranger has his work cut out for him . . . and Kate does too. She has to fight through the rigors of the Cadet-in-Training program, and quickly. If not, she’ll lose the one privilege she’s been given at The Academy—access to her precious little brother. And until she graduates from the CIT program, Officer Nealson is banned from Missions.
When General Weston finally offers a juicy recon to Ranger, he wants to jump at the chance to prove himself again. After all, catching bad guys is his thing. Almost all pros for doing it. One con—Cadet Connelly has to ride along.
The hardened officer finds he’s slowly been growing a soft spot for his mentee. But he’s determined not to end up like his father, and former Elite Cadet Pete Davenport—throwing away their career for a girl (not even a woman). And Kate has lingering feelings for Pete, who risked his life to warn her, and conflicting feelings for Ranger. She has to set both aside to focus on completing her first mission.
When the dust settles, old alliances are broken and new ones are formed. But one thing remains the same: Kate’s destiny has been determined for her by The Academy. Ready or not . . . she’s set for Missions. Will one of the former elite cadets step in to help change her fate, or will she be left to fight the Academy’s agenda alone?
The Academy Saga, III : CAP & Gown
Katie Connelly is nineteen years old but feels like she's been fighting for survival forever.
When Officer Ranger Nealson offers her a lifeline at The Academy, she snatches it with both hands. But she soon realizes that her lifeline might not be enough to keep her afloat and that her mentor might have ulterior motives. She wouldn't be willing to compromise her principles if it wasn't for one small thing--her brother Mikey. Her all-encompassing promise to her mother to protect her brothers causes her to forge forward with Ranger's master plan. After all, this is likely the best deal she would get at The Academy, and she and Mikey need all the help they can get to survive in this cutthroat world.
But during the course of her training, Kate can't help but long for a different elite cadet. Where is Pete Davenport? He's lost in the wind. Will he make an appearance before Kate marches into a destiny she's not sure she wants? Much less can handle. Somewhere along this fast-forward march, Kate makes a major misstep that costs her biggest ally and forever changes the lives of everyone she's trying to protect.
My review: “The Academy will always win…no matter who gets hurt in the process.”
Katie is a poor teen looking after her dad and brothers. Her life is a big, fat nothing. If only she could get a distraction from it. Well, distraction soon comes in the form of two mysterious strangers.
Story has a nice and easy narrative that grabs the reader for the most part, but it can be long and slow at times. The premise certainly sounded interesting with the allure of this Academy, but the excitement was fairly mild. You mostly hear Katie’s side of things with a lot of her inner monologues. The whole thing seemed too focused on Katie and not enough on the Academy. A decent read overall.
My rating: 3 stars
About the Author
CJ Daly grew up on the scrabbly plains of Eastern New Mexico. When she was supposed to be helping her six siblings with chores on the family ranch, she was really sneaking behind dusty haystacks to read. And dreaming about becoming a writer.
After graduating high school, CJ moved to Big D, where she quickly put herself through college while trying to rid herself of her country accent. She had better luck with college, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English literature. After teaching for a few years, and pausing to have back-to-back boys, she began writing in earnest.
A few years later, The Academy Saga was born. Upon its debut, it became an instant Amazon Bestseller and earned a Readers’ Favorite seal of approval. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find CJ running from one athletic field to another or feeding the wild animals that show up at her back door. On the weekends she likes to kick back with her gal pals and sip Texas-sized margaritas while gabbing about their favorite books and TV series. But CJ’s greatest pleasure is sharing The Academy Saga journey with you.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
June 23, 2021
Q&A with Zach Adams, author of DEAD MAN WALKING
THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING HERE. FOR STARTERS, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WRITING AND WHAT INSPIRES YOU. TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW BOOK
Dead Man Walking is an urban fantasy/mystery set mostly in modern-day Anchorage, Alaska, with introductions to a wider fictional universe. It follows perpetually anxious library assistant/wannabe writer Isaac Falcone, who suddenly finds his world infested with monsters, both human and supernatural. His subsequent discovery of the lost history of an ancient, otherworldly species gets him caught in the center of a plot to unmake all of reality.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLE FOR THIS BOOK?
The title was one among several other forgotten versions I considered in the years it took me to finish the book. When I was finally feeling something close to satisfaction about the plot, Dead Man Walking seemed like a catchy way to summarize it.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
When I was little I was always hooked on any fantasy adventure I could find, whether it was in books, movies & TV, or games. My long list of creative influences include The Dresden Files, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Doctor Who, and Kingdom Hearts, along with too many comic books and song lyrics to list. My fiction fixation, coupled with a limited social life and the occasional voices in my head, led me to the conclusion in my early teens that I could invent a fantasy world that functioned however I told it to, or so I thought. Most of my time since then has been spent arguing with made-up people about how their lives should happen. Dead Man Walking is the result of me emerging victorious from one of those arguments.
WHAT DRIVES YOUR CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY?
The impending doom of all reality is a major motivator for most of them. Isaac must stumble and panic his way into saving the universe, and simultaneously find his own place in it.
IF YOUR BOOK WERE TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE, WHO WOULD BE YOUR CAST?
Isaac Falcone (protagonist) – Jason Ralph, ever since seeing him on The Magicians it’s been tough to picture anyone else.
L’æon (support) – David Tennant or Matt Smith, both based on their time on Doctor Who.
WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FOR YOUR BOOK?
Quality and cost. My budget was limited, and I got lucky; the first artist I contacted on Fiverr.com (Touqeershahid95 for anyone interested in his work) offered a great deal and knocked it out of the park on the first try, with very few notes from me.
WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY?
To me, Dead Man Walking is about overcoming fear and self-doubt under dire circumstances, but if any reader finds a new meaning that I didn’t see, I think that’s valid as well.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A WRITER?
Motivation. It’s so much easier to just spend all day in bed with the lights off than get up and work. I live in a constant battle to trick myself into feeling the need to do things. And then, once I’m in front of the computer, it can take hours to translate plot notes into proper sentences. Hopefully, my next effort won’t take me the better part of a decade to get through. Maintaining a strict, borderline Sheldon Cooper-esque daily schedule has helped quite a bit.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS?
Wake up early every morning, eat a healthy breakfast, turn on your computer or open your notebook, change your name, move to a new state or country, and find something less frustrating to do with your time. If you still haven’t been deterred by then, start building your lead character, inside and out. Don’t stop until they’re a living, breathing person, capable of hopping off the page, assuming your identity, and embarking on a quest for global domination that must be stopped by a character created by the next new writer after you.
Seriously though, just try to devote at least an hour or two every day to seeing how many words you can get out and don’t stop until you can’t pay attention to the page anymore. Remember to take breaks often, because apparently it’s not healthy to stare at a screen and talk to your imaginary friends all day, according to some allegedly real people I know.
DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR WEBSITE READERS CAN VISIT FOR UPDATES, EVENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS?
www.adamsvalentine.com is the homepage of a musical/dramatic partnership I make up half of, where Dead Man Walking and all other future projects of mine will be available. Links to my social pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube) as well as those of my creative accomplice Jon Valentine, can be found there.
Dead Man Walking available for pre-order on Amazon
June 20, 2021
Review: THE FIESTA BURGER MURDER by Rosie A. Point
A town that was snooze-ville and the friendliest in the Midwest….with gossip and lies for salt. Christie didn’t want to be back in her hometown, but she had no choice. She had to leave the police force on a sabbatical because of a mistake. The first thing she does is go for a burger. The special on the menu: The Mexican Fiesta Burger.
For Christie, it was her love of mysteries that prompted her to become a detective. Well…that and her mother’s unsolved murder, which might be the whole reasoning for her return back into town. On the first morning, the town grump is found dead in her friend’s back garden, making her friend the prime suspect. That was just the thing to get Christie out of sabbatical, even it wasn’t technically her case. While working at the burger grill, she works to find the real killer. What did this murder have to do with her mother’s case?
A good mystery! Fun and easy to read.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: Burger Bar Mystery Set by Rosie A. Point
Book 2: The Double Cheeseburger Murder – Could an antique writing desk be the murder weapon in the death of an art expert? Could Griz’s cousin be the killer? Or could someone have wanted him dead instead? How could the killer know who would’ve opened the box? Book 3: The Chicken Burger Murder – A food fair in town and what will the girls sell? Burgers, of course! The curmudgeon pizza owner is found dead near his pizza slices. Could the death have anything to do with getting a prime spot at the fair?
Book 4: The Breakfast Burger Murder – Someone attacked the florist. The death of the mom provokes memories of Christie’s own mom—her murder. Why wasn’t the daughter more broken up about it? Various characters complicated this particular story, especially when it leads to the mafia being involved in the death of Christie’s mom.
Book 5: The Salmon Burger Murder – It’s the re-opening of her mother’s case. Bit of dull reading in this one. By this time, I’m growing kind of tired of this series.
Overall: Quick and quirky mysteries! Mysteries certainly draw you in. There were some typos that could’ve been fixed. For the most part, I can learn to overlook these typos, but some of these were glaringly obvious and kind of deterred a bit from the story. Also, the murders had nothing to do with the burger in the title.
My rating: 3 stars
