Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 136

Flight from Berlin by David John

A fascinating WWII book, with major points for being unique and standing out as far as characters/plot in a genre in which most everything has been done to death.

I was sucked in asap by the tidbits and sideline story involving the Hindenburg. I had to Google it and look at pictures. The drama behind the 1936 Olympic games was equally fascinating. And then...oh, my goodness, we've got Richard, a British reporter, getting imprisoned and assaulted for a dossier that he doesn't have.


When his hands do get on it, what shall he do with it? He and Eleanor, the former Olympic hopeful, can either use it to save many or use it to save three. Or can they pull off both?


The story involving Hannah...just wow. It wasn't till I read the author notes in the back that I realized it wasn't true. It's a great look at what could have been going on though. Also, the things the dossier reveal. Hm.. I can't say much, but I'll say it was an excellent idea.


Loved the beginning, middle, starting growing bored toward the last half when the dossier entries started. They were interesting but too long, I think. That's actually when the action scenes get really heated though. The romance was a tad weak, but I actually liked that. Women who like steam will be disappointed, however.


Overall: this book was intriguing. I recommend it.


I received this,  an ARC, from Amazon Vine.

DeAnna Troupe talks about For the Love of Money

[image error] As part of the Master Koda virtual blog tour, today I'm hosting DeAnna Troupe. The assignment was to choose a theme song for your writing or your books or a book. Well, DeAnna came up with something a bit different. Please welcome her to Book Babe.



I didn't really have to think that hard for this assignment. The song that describes my books is "For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays. My books are all business books and they are all about how to help you make more money. I actually found a video of the O'Jays performing this song live so I thought it would be fun to include the video in this post.





DeAnna Troupe is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a serial entrepreneur that has always loved helping others.  Her very first job was as an algebra tutor at the tender age of 14.  Since then she has amassed over 10 years of experience at all levels of business including running her own freelance secretarial business for 5 years.  She has been on the social media scene since before we even knew that's what we were doing.  She has a knack for coming up with creative ways to solve tough problems.  She has two books out on Amazon's kindle. One is called Tips For The Sophisticated Marketer. The other one is called Tips About Twitter For The Sophisticated Marketer. She is an effective teacher that enjoys seeing her clients get to the next level with their business.  When she's not coaching clients on integrating video in their social media strategy, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids. She also enjoys reading, writing, crocheting, singing, playing cards, and playing board games. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deannatroupecoachTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/deannatroupeWeb: http://www.learnsmallbusiness.com

Please Welcome Eugenia O'Neal

I'm pleased to announce that a fellow author is having an exciting release day. First of all, a bit about Ms. O'Neal: Eugenia O'Neal is a writer from the British Virgin Islands whose short stories have been published in regional publications. Her first book, From the Field to the Legislature: A History of Women in the Virgin Islands, was publised by Greenwood Press in 2001. Since then she has published two novels, Just an Affair and Dido's Prize. Her next novel, Jessamine, will be out in June.

I've read Dido's Prize too. Loved it! But today, we're talking about Jessamine.


Jessamine tells the story of Grace Hylton, an African-American, who arrives on the Caribbean island of St. Crescens full of doubts about her husband’s political aspirations, doubts about her marriage and doubts about the wisdom of relocating. Her native-born husband, Julian, has lived most of his adult life in the States but has come back to St. Crescens, determined to pull his country out of the cauldron of corruption, nepotism and crime into which the leading political dynasty has taken it.

An architect by training, Julian buys and restores Jessamine, an old Great House. What the Hyltons don’t know is that Jessamine is home to the ghost of Arabella Adams who lived there as a governess during the late 1800s.

Jessamine is told from the alternating viewpoints of the two women – both foreigners, both married to local men. An old injustice binds them across the century that separates them, but can Grace discover its roots before St. Crescens is plunged into violence and chaos?


It's an intriguing tale that artfully time jumps. In most novels I'd find it irritating. In this one, I didn't. The women are so different and the men are too, there was no confusion. I confess, I thought it would have a touch of horror due to the cover, but I was pleased with the interracial story line as well.
Now, some questions for Ms. O'Neal:
I googled St. Crescens and did not find an island by such a name. I did, however, come across an African Saint. Can you tell me what island you thought of as you wrote this? (The descriptions are so vivid.) And what prompted you to name it St. Crescens?Honestly, I thought of all the islands I've ever visited while writing but perhaps the most of St. Lucia (where I got the idea for Jessamine) and also of Barbados which has a flatter landscape and where sugar was first introduced to the New World as a crop back in the 1600s.  Many of the islands were named by the Spanish, who as big Catholics named them after saints so I just followed along and looked up the saints online at the Catholic Encyclopedia.
 
Hey, I was on the right track. :) Alphanus doesn't look Grace in the eye. It's like he's uncomfortable with women. How do you handle it when men do that to you?Thankfully, most guys I speak to don't do that but when it happens I usually start looking at whatever they're looking at and end the conversation quickly.
 
Monkey meat and turtle soup are dishes mentioned in the the story. Have you had these? What do they taste like?Well, only a couple islands, Barbados and St. Kitts, have monkeys as far as I know.  We don't have them in the Virgin Islands and monkey meat long ago went off the menu on those islands so I've never had it.  In the old books written usually by whites vising the island or by the white planters the taste was considered comparable to chicken. Turtle soup continued to be eaten into around the 1970s, 1980s but the discovery that green turtles were near extinction resulted in governments in the region banning the killing of turtles and the sale of their meat or their shells for most of the year. You can still find it on menus when the hunting season is open (though rarely) but I've never eaten turtle, either.  Turtle eggs are considered to improve men's potency but I suppose they can use Viagra now. 
LOL! Learn something new everyday... Grace or Arabella. Which one do you relate to the most and why?A difficult question.  In many ways, Arabella has had a hard life.  She grew up without a mother and then, while still a child, really, she's sent away from the only home she ever knew, India.  Up until she met Leando she did what was expected of her, by society and by her remaining family.  Meeting Leando and living on Jessamine where things were not always as they seemed changed something in her and ignited her desire to live for herself.  Grace, on the other hand, comes from a privileged African-American background and has achieved success fairly easily.  She's fearless and basically says and does as she wants but when she comes to St. Crescens, she has to tamp herself down a bit.  It's a bit unnerving for her to be in an unfamiliar place, among strangers, in a situation where she has to be in the background and can't express herself and be who she is.  The two women are very different but, I think if Arabella, were asked she would say she admires Grace who never second-guessed herself in her life.  And if Grace were asked she would say that she's in awe of Arabella who, whatever her opinions about her own strength, had the courage to go against society and marry the black man she loved in a time when that was very much taboo.
 
Arabella gets her room peppered and gets scared by a snake as those brats play pranks on her. Has someone played pranks such as this on you before? Leando looks like Dennis Haysbert.No.  The pranksters at school tended to be my friends so they never did anything to me but other people would have eggs put under their mattreses or wake up covered with powder.  I never did that.  I do remember calling people on the phone when I was young and asking them if their fridge was running and then barely being able to get the punchline out before dissolving in laughter!  Even now when I'm telling a joke, I'm usually the one laughing the hardest!  A total dork!
 
As a writer, I'm fond of browsing fotolio and istockphoto and all and searching for my cover art models/figures. I'd like you to find a Julius for us and a Leando. What do they look like?Easy!  Leando looks like the actor Dennis Haysbert, one of my favourite actors!
And Jane at Booketta's Book Blog thought of Jamie Foxx for Julian which I think is perfect though a bit short.
Ms. O'Neal, thank you for taking the time to be on Book Babe. I wish you the best of sales and reviews!Readers looking for a mystery/suspense historical full of strong women and mystery and secrets with a lovely tropical island setting, be sure to mark Jessmine as "to read."
Thank you.

Release Day!

And my first f/f is released today! Those interested and daring enough to give it a go can buy it here:

Evernight Publishing

It will follow on Amazon and other sites shortly.

The editor is always right... Katia Lane, a down on her luck writer, finds this out the hard way. When she submits an erotic tale to Daring Desires Publishing, one head strong woman meets another as an author/editor war ensues. There's no room for a diva in the publishing industry...and Sylvia L. Avers means to demonstrate this to the fledging writer. When you submit a manuscript to Daring Desires, you submit more than a book...you submit yourself.

As a BDSM conference nears, both women prepare to face off. Which one is going to be on top?

Please Welcome Catrina Taylor

[image error] I am part of a special virtual blog tour, Master Koda Virtual Blog Tour to be exact. See that pretty gold box to the side. Today is the first day of posts, and I'm pleased to announce that I am hosting the lovely Catrina Taylor. Today, she is talking to us about what inspired her to write. And trust me, it's very inspiring and emotional.


When I was a child I found fantasy enjoyable. I created an entire second life for myself in my mind, and when I could, I'd tell my stories to others. Weaving the web was easy, unweaving it I found more of a challenge. By the time I reached eighth grade, I learned to weave that other world on paper. It was the most freeing and amazing thing I have ever experienced. After being selected by a teacher for a writing class with a well known author, I found that this is what I wanted to do, create. In time, over the years, life crept up. I married by the time I was twenty two. Ten years later, after a beating, and after being told repeatedly the things that drove me passionately, were meaningless, I found the motivation and need to exit the marriage. My son, who has aspergers syndrome, was being mistreated by his father because of his behavior. I couldn't watch this continue, so I made arrangements and my children and I got out. I had lost my creative spirit during the painful marriage, but I never lost my desire to create.
 The year I left, I finally started to rework a manuscript I had begun in 2003. On our anniversary in 2011, after spending more than a year learning about the industry and writing the book, book one was finally finished.  Birth of an Empire is not the same book I started in 2003. To the contrary, it is set 500 years prior to the book I began in 2003, but it is my greatest personal achievement. The accomplishment was the single most freeing an enjoyable experience I have had in my adult life. On that day, I told the man who held me back that he no longer had a hold of me. I accomplished that which I enjoyed and I will never again put down my creative spirit for anyone.
 My children drive me every day by inspiring me, teaching me and helping me remember that creativity starts in the young at heart. I make it my goal to find that daily, even if only for fleeting moments. I know as I continue to work toward my dream and goal, my children learn that their excitement and passions matter and they can achieve great things. Writing has become a blessing for us all.
~ About Catrina ~Catrina Taylor is a science fiction author and the creator of Xarrok. Her first book was released in December 2011 and she has two additional books released, with three full length novels slated for release this year. This hardworking single mother takes pride in her children’s accomplishment, both living and fictious. Birth of an Empire 1 is available on Nook, Kindleand all ereading devices through Smashwords.com You can learn about her world here:  http://xarrok.comYou can find her business: http://thewritingnetwork.com  and contact her on facebook  http://facebook.com/Xarrok

Driven by Lisa Nowak

I just finished this book and I'm actually at a loss for words. It was fantastic. Trying to explain all the plot lines and the way they touched me seems daunting. But I shall try.


First, my attention span is short nowadays. Rarely do I pick up a full length novel and manage to read it without skimming. Too many of them are full of irrelevant, boring details. Not this one. This one grabbed me and held me tight. I didn't want to put it down.


Jess is a young teenage girl who loves working on cars and going to the drags/car races. She's got a total loser of a mother. So many times I wanted to beat the crap out of Lydia and leave her body by the side of a road. But her daughter is the total opposite. Where Lydia is a whiny, lazy, alcoholic loser, Jess is just driven.

Imagine being sixteen, building your own car, paying the bills, working two jobs, and in the end, living in that car. All the while, trying to make a name for yourself in the racing world. Some would say Jess is stupid for not asking for help. I said she's got guts and pride.


Before I make this review too long, I'll just make a little list.


Humor: Thanks to Terri Sue and a cute little boy named Rhett (Yes, Gone with the Wind), there were a load of chuckles and laughs throughout Jess's story of heartbreak.


Romance: Got it. Jess starts a sweet romance with Cody from Nowak's previous two books. And this time, I really liked Cody. He's turned out well.


Moral: Yep. Got that too. About pride and when to swallow it.


Forgiveness: Another issue.


Cars: A LOT. Terri Sue drives a Camaro (she's a lady racecar driver!!! I hope she is the next book!). Race and Cody drive Dodge Darts. Jess drives a Ford Pinto. There's a car for everyone.

Conclusion: Best  YA book I've read this year. Loved it. Five stars.


I received this from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Art for October Releases!

I have three books coming out in October of this  year. Two Sonia's, one Tara. I have just found cover art for two. 


First is October 12, it's a sexy/scary shortie. 

It's Halloween, and Vivian is looking forward to a sexy romp with her husband of eight years. The kids are tucked in bed, the bedroom door is locked, the candy's put away, and Vivian is ready and willing…but Kenny's Halloween costume is a bit creepy, and he may be taking it too far..


Next, is Style Me Sexy, releasing on my 10th wedding anniversary, Oct. 26th.
Bridget isn't beautiful. At least she doesn't think so. Besides, her ex always told her she wasn't. And she believes him. So when an online romance leads to a blind date, she heads to the salon for a makeover stat. 

She's dismayed to discover that her usual stylist isn't available, and she has no choice but to let a man do her hair. Nervousness turns into sexual awareness as the sexy Javier buries his fingers in her tresses.

Javier has been aware of the timid but kind woman for some time and vows to make her see that she's beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside. Will he succeed in keeping his own feelings at bay and style her sexy?

Release Announcement: The Descendant (City of the Gods, Book #1) Author: S.J. McMillan

Coming 5/25/2012 from Ruby Lioness Press [image error] Blurb700 A.D. Teotihuacán, Mexico – The High Priest believed himself to be as 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.
2012 A.D. 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. But has it prepared her to save the world? Can her friends, who have survived so long, convince her she has what it takes to accept the mantle of Redeemer?
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. Her mind raced with unanswerable questions. Who was coming for her? What did they want from her? Was this actually some sick joke or was someone really coming to get her?

To Turn Full Circle Blog Tour/Giveaway

It's that time again! A Choc Lit release is coming soon! And this month, I'm proud to be featuring To Turn Full Circle by Linda Mitchelmore. If you missed my review: Here's the link: To Turn Full Circle Review.


Quick blurb:
Life in Devon in 1909 is hard and unforgiving, especially for young Emma Le Goff, whose mother and brother die in curious circumstances, leaving her totally alone in the world. While she grieves, her callous landlord Reuben Jago claims her home and belongings. 
His son Seth is deeply attracted to Emma and sympathises with her desperate need to find out what really happened, but all his attempts to help only incur his father’s wrath.

When mysterious fisherman Matthew Caunter comes to Emma’s rescue, Seth is jealous at what he sees and seeks solace in another woman. However, he finds that forgetting Emma is not as easy as he hoped.

Matthew is kind and charismatic, but handsome Seth is never far from Emma’s mind. Whatever twists and turns her life takes, it seems there is always something – or someone – missing.

Can Seth persuade Emma that they can overcome their past?


And today, I'm interviewing the heroes of To Turn Full Circle.


Me: So, Seth, *clears throat* where are your balls? The beginning of the story, I was appalled that you didn't appear to have a pair. Your father, your brothers, you just get bossed and pushed around. Why did you permit this?
Seth: Where are my balls? You cheeky madam! Come here, woman, and I’ll show you. That’s the short answer. The longer answer is that it was such a shock when Emma turned up – so thin, dressed in what were little more than rags - at Shingle Cottage while I was painting window frames. All coherent thought evaporated. And I could see her shock was even greater to learn that not only was she now an orphan, but was also homeless.
Thinking with my head (in wanting to provide materially for Emma as well as emotionally) and not just my heart cost me dear….it almost cost me Emma, but thankfully – in the end – it didn’t.
Me: Matthew, you say, and I quote, "There aren't many women averse to my charms." *blinks* Do women just fall at your feet? If so, tell me what's so darn special about you?
Matthew: Women not averse to my charms? Ah – that was a touch of male bravado. In truth, I was piqued that Emma wasn’t as immediately attracted to me as I was to her – and the remark came out. But I’m a man – and men, so I’ve been told, can talk a lot of bollocks at times.
Me: He isn't kidding, is he, readers? *snickers* Seth, this part here made me giggle: "He put a protective arm around her then squeezed her shoulder, and Emma had a niggle of a suspicion that he might be trying to get his way with her by gentler, more subtle means." *grins* So, were you?
Seth: Did I have an ulterior motive in putting an arm around Emma? How can you think such a thing? Definitely not! I didn’t know how Emma would take my gesture but I hoped my brothers would see it for what it was – a statement that I was going to protect Emma and they’d have to get past me if they thought to harm her in any way.
Me: Sure...sure... Matthew again...You must get around. You said to Emma, "I've known lots of women." You've totally opened yourself up there! You have to answer now 'cause I'm dying to know...How many? LOL
Matthew: How many women have I known? Ah, that would be telling. As I said to Reuben Jago down on the quay the first time I went on one of his boats ‘A gentlemannever discusses the women he goes with’. Heavy emphasis on the word gentleman, and I will have to leave it at that – my lips are sealed.
Me: You are the hoity toity one, eh? *shaking head* Seth, you realized--too late--in my opinion, that Emma had nowhere to go, that it was cold, that she was orphaned and homeless... You realized this like the next day. I mean, just where did you expect Emma to go? For real? I'm trying to understand what was going through your head.
Seth: Where did I expect Emma to go? I took her to Mrs. Drew and I hoped she’d be given a bed for the night there. When I found out she hadn’t been I was full of remorse. I could have given her money to stop at an hotel – although I doubt the independent Emma, would have accepted it from a Jago.
Me: *nods* You're probably right there. Matthew, you said if Emma was a little older and circumstances were different...well, what is about Emma that attracts you so? And do five years or so so really make all that much a difference?
Matthew: What is it about Emma that attracts me so? Ah well…..how long is a piece of string? -as they say. I am more than five years older than Emma, actually – I’m not saying how much but it’s in double figures, just. But I was, as you know, very attracted to her. She turned my knees to jelly, actually, despite her ragged appearance in my back garden. But I was a married man (although Emma didn’t know that then) and I was also doing a covert job. I couldn’t afford to be sidetracked by a beautiful waif. Besides, she was under-age for what my loins were telling me I wanted to do with her. But I could also see – in a moment of pure clarity – the woman she would become; strong and loyal and even more beautiful. And then there was the rapport we instantly had – it was nearly my undoing.
Me: I really want more details about exactly your loins were telling you, but this is not an X-rated blog, so I'll have to maybe...make another appointment for that. *winks* Meanwhile, *glares at Seth* Seth, really, Caroline the Cougar? Whatever possessed you?
Seth: Caroline Prentiss? We all make mistakes, don’t we? – and Mrs. Prentiss was my biggest ever. And we have our weaknesses. For most women it’s shoes and hats and fine jewels – if they can afford them or can find a man to afford them for them. Caroline Prentiss was different – sex was her weakness, and she was now a widow. She used me – as much as I used her to get experience being a virgin that first time I shared her bed. I’m not proud of it, but we all have to move on.
Me: We'll discuss that at a more private time too. *smiles* But moving on for now... Both of you, Emma is a good cook. She makes crab tarts and a fancy apple tart. Which do you prefer?
Matthew: Emma’s fancy apple tart every time. With lashings of Devonshire clotted cream. Don’t believe anyone who tells you Cornish cream is the best because it isn’t – Devonshire cream reigns supreme.
Seth: Crab tart for me. I was weaned on the fruits of the sea and can never get enough. And I can never get enough of Emma for that matter…
Me: I just realized we've got crabs, cream, and wean--nevermind. *frowns* And we have another hero, Mr. Smythe, are you just wanting an unpaid nanny or do you really care for Emma?
Mr. Smythe: An unpaid Nanny? What a question. I could easily afford three Nannies if I wanted them. I gave her a roof over her head and, quite honestly, I think she should have been more grateful. But then, when my dear wife Claudine, died I could see what a good replacement Emma would be for her, speaking French as she did. I made it clear to Emma that had she married me, I wouldn’t have forced myself on her in the bedroom. I did come to admire Emma for the way she learned things so quickly …isn’t that enough?
Me: Question for both Seth and Mr. Smythe. Why should Emma choose you?
Seth: Why should Emma choose me? Because she knows she loves me….she’s just been fighting it. And she knows I’d give my right arm for her.
Mr. Smythe: Why would she not choose me? I own a hotel, a large house on Dartmoor for weekends, and I would have dressed her in the way befitting my wife. Personally, I consider her a fool to have gone back to Seth Jago although I know she won’t agree with me.
Me: Well, thanks, guys, that concludes--oh wait, Matthew is waving his hand madly in the air here...
Matthew: Thank you for asking me for my thoughts…..no one in the book gave me that courtesy….next time, perhaps?
Me: Matthew, you just admitted to be married! I didn't consider you a player anymore... Hmm... I sense a scandal to come in book two.
Everyone leave a comment for a chance to win a paperback copy of To Turn Full Circle! Contest runs for one week! Be sure to leave an email addy. 

Winterbloom by Marissa Dobson

This is novelette length story that despite its shortness, has a strong message: forgive yourself.

Jordan ends up snowed in in a bed and breakfast in Clearwater, WY, detoured by a nasty storm and a broke down car on his way to Idaho to see a war widow: a woman made a widow because--he thinks--of him.


Chloe has taken over Winterbloom from her deceased grandmother. When Jordan lands on her doorstep, she ignores the local sheriff's warnings about being alone with a man she doesn't know, and instead, not only shelters him from the storm outside, but also from the storm inside.


Through her, Jordan can find healing. But when the real storm passes, will the internal storm come back? Is there a future for a spur of the moment romance to grow into?


LOL moment: "I might have been a marine, always ready to go at a moment's notice, but I do need a little recovery time."


Readers, what do you think he was recovering from? *waggling eyebrows suggestively*


I thought this was a very enjoyable, short read, but would have liked to have seen Chloe's character/thoughts/feelings dwelled on a tad more. The main focus was Jordan--understandably, but I wanted to know more about Chloe. However, this is the first of a series so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her.


Frowny face moment: No condom??? LOL. Now, now, you just met the man! Shame! LOL


Four stars. I bought this on Amazon.