Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 114

The Gilded Fan by Christina Courtenay

This is the sequel to Scarlet Kimono. I think Scarlet Kimono is my favorite story still by Courtenay, mainly because of the adventure and the exotic setting, but this is just as well-written and has to be my favorite heroine.


Midori's parents are dead and her own country is exiling half-breeds like her. She's half Japanese, half foreigner, and during the time this book takes place, they were exiling all Christians whether they practiced or not, including those of Japanese blood, and though Midori doesn't practice Christianity, she must leave to save her life.

And this is why she runs into a group of seamen at camp and ends up in a sword fight. This is why she meets Nicco, the captain of a trading ship. This girl is imprisoned, put on a ship full of horny, vengeful men, drugged in an opium den, and yet still lands with dignity and grace in Plymouth England...where she has to suddenly convert to Puritan religion and customs.

Majority of us would have broke down at some point, but Midori handles everything life throws at her. She doesn't need a man. She proves time and time again she can do just fine without Nicco, the captain who has stolen her heart. Matter of fact, she turns him down at first.

But if he loves her, must must work for her, he must restore his honor as he lost it at some point in her eyes...and I'm not revealing a thing more.

The historical is rich and spot-on. The war with King Charles is ongoing throughout the last half of the novel and though I'm not overly fond of England's wars (Sorry, England. And I think this is why I prefer Scarlet Kimono.) and normally I wouldn't care less who won or not, I could really feel this little town, Midori's family included, really banding together. They have a lot of heart. Midori has a lot of heart. She runs out into BATTLE. I mean, I LOVE this chick.

I didn't think the romance was Courtenay's strongest, but I still enjoyed this story. It's an adventure tale following an amazing young woman who faces more in the span of a few years then many of us do in a lifetime. There's also a strong moral, more than one actually. Family is important, protecting them is important. Sometimes you must do what's right for them. And words...words can have more effect on people than you realize.

Five stars. I bought this on Kindle.

Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Fallon Braeden

Book: Touching Smoke, Touching Fire, Touching Embers, Touching Ash, Touching Eternity
Author: Airicka Phoenix 
Heroine: Fallon Braeden

Fallon is the heroine of the Touch Series. The first book in the series is Touching Smoke. Fallon is a genetically created weapon designed by a madman on a power trip. All her life, her mother tried to protect her, kept her on the run, away from the darkness lurking to take her back to where she belongs. She almost succeeds until the Garrison's power-wielding crew finds them. Fallon is a an average teenager with a smart mouth and a generous heart. She gets chased by fire-throwing twins, a crazy shape-shifter, a Russian duplicator, and the man that created her, but she stands against them, saving herself and Isaiah.

She's sexy because she doesn't take flack. She's sarcastic and witty and smart and can't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it (which it does on several occasions). Because of the unique makeup of her DNA, Fallon is beautiful, but I think her sexiness comes from her strength and her ability to remain human when everything is fighting against her to make her otherwise.


Blurb:
Secrets... 

Fallon has one. She doesn’t know it, but it will kill her... if she’s caught. 

Love... 

Isaiah. Her soul mate. Made especially for her. Created especially for her. Designed to be everything she would ever need. But loving him will destroy her. 

Betrayal... 

Willing to die for her, kill for her, Isaiah must first save her from the monster chasing them — the man that had created them to annihilate the world. 

What would you risk for love?

Excerpt:


Garrison laughed. “Not if I kill him first.” For two whole heartbeats, no one moved or breathed. All air vanished, seemingly sucked into some unknown chasm like a vacuum. Then it all came rushing back in a full surge of chaos. No one saw Isaiah move, not even me, and I was holding his hand. But one second, he was beside me, trembling with rage, the next he was across the small distance, holding Garrison by the throat.I think I screamed. I couldn’t be sure. The noise was suddenly deafening all around. Someone fired a gun. It exploded like a rocket inside the tightly crammed space. The stench of gunpowder and blood filled the air. This time I did scream because the scent of that blood was more precious to me than gold.There was a flash of steel from the corner of my eye. Johnson had pulled his gun. I didn’t think. I reacted. With a single sweep of my hand, I clawed at his throat. A sick, gurgling sound filled my ears, drowning the pounding of my heart and the shouts taking place across from me.I didn’t stop to see what became of Johnson. I pushed out of my seat and lunged at Bruce — or Lew; it didn’t matter. My hands wrapped around his neck from behind as he tried to pry Isaiah off Garrison. With strength I should never have possessed as an average girl, I yanked his head away from his shoulder, exposing the plane of skin where his vein pulsed. I might have bitten and drank from him. It was a blur, but there was a foul taste in my mouth, the taste of sour milk.Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was half-conscious of the limo slamming to a halt. Maybe the driver heard the gun shot or the screams, whichever, we didn’t have much time before the van behind us, carrying Maia, Yuri and several others, caught up to us.Lew, the only bodyguard still standing — metaphorically speaking — huddled in the corner, swinging his still smoking gun from me to Isaiah, his face a frozen mask of terror. He was the one! He had shot Isaiah. He had to die. I felt no remorse, no guilt, no doubt or hesitation. I was a hungry beast with only one thing on my mind — eliminate the threat! Isaiah had to be protected. There was nothing else.I leapt without even stopping to consider the possibility of getting shot. I was on him before he could see me coming. That feat alone should have been impossible, especially since I couldn’t even stand upright inside the car. But I had him, my hand around his throat, my canines throbbing. My breathing wheezed in my ears. A low growl escaped my throat just before I struck.
Buy Touching Smoke.

The Princess of Egypt Must Die by Stephanie Dray

A fantastic short story. I was wholly entertained and wondering what was going to happen next and even better, it's about a strong woman in history, a queen and pharaoh of Egypt and what, possibly, could have made her so bitter and tough.


The story follows her marriage to an old king when she is only 15. She is attracted to one of his sons, who returns the feelings, but another son is plotting to have her thrown off the throne. It's also about how one can desire to have friends and trust so much, they often trust the wrong people.

Even though she does nothing wrong, she pays a huge price.

Even more fascinating is the Author's Notes. I was inspired to do more research into this woman.

"It took Arsinoe years, but she eventually destroyed the royal family of Thrace. Later, she returned to Egypt, became queen and was appointed Pharaoh in her own right. She planned victorious wars. She won an Olympic medal for horse harnessing..."

Five stars. This was a free download on Amazon.

Spotlight on City of the Gods & S.J. McMillan

In 700 A.D. Teotihuacan, Mexico, the High Priest believed himself to be a powerful as the gods. He set a plague on the city as a demonstration of his power. The Gods took pity on the remaining loyal congregation. They granted each survivor immortality and an extraordinary ability. Three loyal survivors were given a mission of great importance: train the lone human descendant of their civilization to stop the evil priest from damning the rest of humanity.

Now in San Diego, California, the time has come to finally make Katalina Deckard aware of her destiny. Her life has been a constant struggle since the loss of her parents when she was young. These struggles have made her a fighter, but she doesn’t believe they have prepared her to save the world. Her friends, who have survived for so long, must convince her that she has what it takes to accept the mantle of the Redeemer.
Genre: Urban fantasy
About the Author:
I live in Southwest Missouri with my super supportive husband and our three energetic young rascals. I work as an administrative assistant during the week. Now I get to add published author to my list of roles I play in life.
Being an author was not my first career choice. In my younger years I wanted to be a dancer, but dance lessons are expensive! I also wanted to be Dolly Parton from The Best Little Whore House in Texas. I could really belt out Itty Bitty Piss Ant Country Place, just ask my parents, or their former neighbors.
After a slew of other interesting job choices, I just could not shake the writing bug I picked up in high school. I started writing poetry and still write a poem whenever inspiration hits me. I also love to read, especially paranormal romances and urban fantasies. The love of reading is what spawned the desire to try my hand at writing a novel of my very own.
I love creating the characters and giving them their own personalities and voices. I have also come to enjoy writing fight scenes. My husband (the wonderful man that he is) will act them out with me so I know exactly how I need to show it to the audience. Call us crazy if you like, but it's really fun to act out a scene using a broom handle as a spear and a foam baseball bat as an axe.
I hope you enjoy City of the Gods: The Descendant. The second book of the trilogy is being edited and I’m working on the third and final book now. I love to hear from fellow authors and readers. You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcmillansj, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mcmillansj, or swing by my website at www.mcmillansj.com.
Website / Twitter / Facebook
Excerpt:“Who did this?” Tristan asked quietly, almost more to himself than to Kat.
“Probably that bastard Ryan. He is going to pay for every last thing he demolished,” Kat replied, assuming Tristan was speaking about the chaos throughout the rest of the house. She stepped forward and looked around the room once more. It was then that she noticed the black flowers sitting on her dresser. Kat walked over and pulled the small white card from them. She opened the envelope to reveal a card with a beautiful picture of the same flower in white. Tristan came to stand behind her as she opened the card. It was a simple message, but one she would not soon forget.
I am coming for you.
Tristan plucked the card from her hand and reread it. Kat stood frozen in place, shocked and confused. Her mind raced with unanswerable questions. Who was coming for her? What did they want from her? Was this actually some sick joke Ryan was playing or was someone really coming to get her? Her stomach churned and her head began to pound. She doubled over in pain while fear of the unknown trespasser flooded her brain. It was all too overwhelming.
Kat hugged her arms around her stomach. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees on the floor. A cold sweat broke on her forehead. Kat was almost glad when black spots started to swim in her vision. She tried to ask Tristan for help, but she could not find her voice. Dizziness engulfed her, and she felt herself begin to fall the rest of the way to the floor. Tristan caught her just before her head and the floor collided. She could barely hear his concerned voice calling her name as the blackness surrounded her.
“Katalina, open your eyes.” Tristan shook her a bit, hoping she would regain consciousness. Sabine and Vivian had heard the commotion, rushed into the room, and directly to Kat’s side. To Tristan’s great relief, Katalina’s eyes opened a crack, enough to see the intensely harsh gaze she gave him. Tristan looked to the girls, who looked equally surprised by her reaction.
“Katalina?” Tristan questioned.
“Leave her alone,” Katalina responded and her nearly black eyes closed once again.

S.E.C.R.E.T by L. Marie Adeline

One of the best books I've read in a long time, especially in the erotic genre. The trend has grown alarming lately. When did women getting hog-tied and abused become sexy? Seriously? The BDSM craze has been going way too far. But this...this is what sex should be about. About all the steps addressed in this book, by this heroine. It should be about empowering women, not belittling or objectifying them.


Surrender. Admit you could use a hand. (Pun intended.) Courage. (Have the courage to try things.) Trust. Confidence (this is the big one, in my opinion.) Bravery. Fearlessness. Generosity. (Sex is a two-way street and with someone you are comfortable with, giving should not feel nasty.)

Each word involves a lesson and something one must find within themselves and each lesson comes by way of a sexual fantasy.

Cassie is a young widow, but she's been a wallflower most of her life. She is lonely and lives a routine, but as she watches people come and go in the cafe, she starts to feel she could have more. But she doesn't have the courage to obtain it...nor the confidence...not until a secret organization of women come to her aid.

With each sexual fantasy they make happen for her, she discovers a different part of herself, that she does have the capability to live life to its fullest. What was done here was amazing. Never once do the men use her, not does it ever feel like she's using them. This was so well done, it blew my mind.

And the fantasies...there isn't even any intercourse here until the fifth one, so if you're looking for kink, this is not it. My personal favorite was the blindfold and the fruit. That was so sexy!! But they aren't about sex, despite the sexiness of them. They are about discovering yourself, growing comfortable with your body, your sexuality, feeling confident and brave enough to get what you want.

9 fantasies. 9 charms, and at the end of it, Cassie has to make a choice: choose a man to fulfill her rest of her life fantasy with or stay with S.E.C.R.E.T. What will she do? Outside forces may come into play and that's all I shall say about that. But I was on the edge of my seat...literally...as I waited to see what the next fantasy would be. I was engrossed, from the billionaire in the limo to the ski instructor to the yacht, I was just WOWED. Now, I fear my own life looks dismal in comparison. I wish there was a S.E.C.R.E.T group here in Utah.

This book was mind-blowing with a very strong message. 5 stars. I received this from Netgalley.

Tip from Tara: Don't Lead Me On

Something else I'm seeing a lot of in my editing gig... confusion with the led, lead, and lead.

Don't lead me on. Lead is present tense. He leads me on. She leads the parade. This form of the word, a verb, is associated with being in charge, which I love to be. He he.

He led me away from the park. Led is the past tense of lead.

But if you were to say "did you led the parade?" Well, duh, that doesn't sound right. Use common sense.

However, I'm seeing the word lead everywhere and people seem to be forgetting led is the past tense of lead.

I think this error is being made because of how the word lead is used when it's a noun.

Lead is a metal.

I'll pump you full of lead. And it's pronounced the same as led, but don't get them confused!

Other words to watch for:

Barely -- barely there
Barley -- a grass

affect -- verb
effect -- noun

His angry gaze (is what is affecting me) made me shiver with fear (and that's the effect.)

confident -- one feels pretty damn good about themselves
confidant -- someone you confide in

And here's another one I keep seeing. I can't get past this.

His crimes are in the past. Past is just that: in the past, long ago.
She passed him on the road. Passed is a verb.

It's all elementary, but easy to forget as time passes.

HerStory: Fiction Honoring Women's History Month: Strength Comes in Many Forms

HerStory: Fiction Honoring Women's History Month: Strength Comes in Many Forms: The purpose of this anthology is to honor women in history: our mothers, our grandmothers, our ancestors, queens, suffragettes, pioneers, wi...

Bootleg My Heart by A.M. Westerling

A quick read, just what I needed at the time. I get tired of books that don't know when too end, just too bogged down in details. Sometimes I need a story that gets to the point, because I don't have time for much else or I just need a quick pick me up. This was it and it did the trick.


You've got a strong woman who has taken over her dad's garage and she's out to kill the local gangster who's the reason her dad is dead. She's got a Tommy gun stashed away in a drawer just for this person. That's darn cool. 

A man--unbeknownst to her--is an undercover cop. She merely thinks he's a drifter applying for the mechanic opening. She lets him in and naturally, they start having feelings for each other. But he's a cop who thinks she's a gangster...and she's a woman with secrets. Eventually, a twist of fate has her thinking he's a gangster too. Where is this going to go?

I liked it very much. I can't say I'll read it again, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and best of all--it didn't have sex. A HUGE accomplishment nowadays--entertaining readers WITHOUT the sex. It's refreshing to pick up a clean read. Sometimes I worry I'll have to grab a Christian novel or a kid's book just to have a sex free read.

Five stars. I bought this on Amazon.

COLLECTING FLASH FICTION FOR A WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH ANTHOLOGY

I have been posting and advertising a special call for flash fiction/shorties to post on Book Babe the month of March. This has changed. I have now found a publisher for these stories, should they ever grace my inbox.

Here are the details:
Short stories/flash fiction for Women's History Month needed for an anthology to be published in March with Pagan Writer's Press. Each story needs to be historical, any era, time. No more than 3k words a piece. (If you go over, no big deal but that would be the goal) Flash fiction/shorties is a brief look into someone's life. The story can be about an ancestor of yours, a woman in history you find on Wiki and think did something awesome, a woman you make up. Perhaps she's standing up for herself, arguing an issue, rebelling against society. She can fight with a sword or her words or her silence. A woman's strength comes in many forms. She may be trying to improve her life or that of her children. She may be fighting for women's or civil rights. Romance is fine, but no sex scenes. Author bios will be at the end of each story. This will be published as an ebook and print if it reaches 50k. Royalties will be paid. Authors share 40% of print royalties, 50% of ebook royalties. I shall update information as I receive it, but get writing! I'd like to have all these stories no later than the first week of February as I will dedicate the month to editing and formatting. Send stories to tchevrestt(at)yahoo.com for consideration. Thank you. *Original work only, please. These are not to be excerpts from previously published or about to be published material.

Strong is Sexy Woman of the Past: Lola Rodriguez de Tio

Her name isn't bandied about much, at least not in the States, but in Puerto Rico, they know who she was.

She fought for the rights of women, slaves, the island itself, and did this often through her words.

Born in 1843, she was a bit of a renegade, even going so far as to wear short hair when that wasn't done on women.

She was a writer and so outspoken in her beliefs, much of it against the Spanish government, that they exiled her. Hey, never say the written word doesn't have power. Her poems apparently caused a ruckus. She lived in Venezuela, New York, and Cuba while her heart was still with Borginquen.

She is responsible for the revolutionary song/poem La Borinquena. I'm not sure I can post it on a blog though. The Spanish and English versions, both, can be read on Wiki.

Rumor has it that she is also responsible for the Puerto Rican flag. It was her suggestion that the island she so loved have the same colors, reversed, as the other island which adopted her: Cuba.

What I appreciate about this woman...how to say this? Normally I feature women that fly, fight in wars, work as spies...but strength and fight and passion and bravery come in many forms. You can fight with words too.

Picture was a free download.