Michele E. Gwynn's Blog, page 2

Do Broken Soldiers Get a Second Chance?

Meet The Soldiers of PATCH-COM... (Read Chapter One FREE below)

Secondhand Soldier, the award winning debut novel in the spinoff series from the popular Green Beret series from Bestselling Author Michele E. Gwynn.

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Chapter One


Hot air blasted Eastwood’s face from the moment he was taken off the C-5 Galaxy. The flight from Ramstein was long and fraught with crazy bouts of unconsciousness. He’d lost time. The two nurses aboard had said very little in between making sure his IV was fed a cocktail that could knock out a horse, and he found their closed-mouthedness frustrating. He remembered asking twice where they were taking him. Once when one of the nurses showed up in his hospital room with a paramilitary escort—a couple of over-muscled dicks who’d unhooked his monitors and then unceremoniously lifted him onto a gurney despite his protests and grunts of pain, and again at the airstrip leaving out of Ramstein. Both times he’d been shut down quickly and drugged into silence.

By the time he’d awoken mid-flight he was royally pissed off, confused from the sedatives, and in pain. He knew if he asked again, he’d just get the needle full of nighty-night juice, so he kept his mouth shut and observed his surroundings through narrowed eyes. From what he could gather, the paramilitary dicks were hired mercenaries. One of the two glared at him and the other men on the gurneys, the hostility rolling off him in waves. He wore a camo jacket with the sleeves rolled up revealing a black snake tattoo wrapped around his right wrist. The other one wore his hair long and tied back. He ignored the patients, keeping his distance. Their mannerisms bespoke their previous military background, but their appearance showed a parting of ways with chain-of-command and regulations. He’d met these types before out in the field. Blackwater blokes hired by foreign governments to infiltrate and rein in rogue factions and take out the opposition. They killed for money, so what they hell were they doing here?
The interior of the C-5 was massive, one of the largest military transport aircraft available, but the cabin area was occupied solely by the two nurses and two mercenaries who kept an eye on not only Eastwood, but two other wounded soldiers. One had black hair with bandages covering his right eye and more wrapped around his right hand. Eastwood could see there were a couple fingers missing. The other was a blond male. His right arm was gone. Both were unconscious, probably still under the effects of the knockout cocktail administered by the nurses.


Although he’d tried to listen for any tidbit of information, none was forthcoming. It was as if he’d entered some bizarre twilight zone where no one spoke. A beep to his right alerted him to a pump attached to his IV. Eastwood noted the machine now pumping fluid into his line. The sedative hit hard and fast.


“Aw, fuck this shi…” Disturbing dreams plagued his rest. The loud whistle of an incoming RPG. The explosions that knocked him out of his hospital bed at Base Camp 10 inside Kuwait. His buddy, Doc, and the nurses, Leisl Craig and Angie Nelson immediately going to work applying a tourniquet to his leg. Damn-near the entire hospital had been wiped out before the attack by ISIS insurgents was stopped. He didn’t remember much after that. He’d awakened to discover his lower left leg gone and life as he knew it—over. The despair, a lingering remnant of the dream, was the last thing he remembered before the blast of hot air engulfed him. A new medical team arrived when the C-5 landed. They wheeled his gurney down the ramp to the tarmac. He glanced around. There was nothing but miles and miles of desert in every direction.


“Where the fuck am I? Where’ve you taken me? Is this Kuwait? Iraq?”
A tall black woman wearing a scowl and the insignia of major approached. Eastwood noticed a slight limp, but it was the scar above her left eye that drew his attention before his hand automatically lifted in salute.


“Sergeant Tyler,” she said, acknowledging the gesture, “I’m Major Sydelle
Maxwell, your new commanding officer. Welcome to Camp Lazarus.”


“Ma’am,” he said, a look of confusion crossing his face, “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of Camp Lazarus. Where, exactly, am I?”


“No one has, Sergeant. You’re in Nevada, Area 51, to be precise. This is where you’ll be rehabilitated. The army has invested a great deal in you, Harold Tyler. It’s time to get a return on that investment. You will do as I say, when I say, and you will work hard. There is no turning back. But first, you’ll be turned over to the medical team to get you back on your feet.”
Eastwood’s eyes popped. “My feet? I only have one, Major—”


“Don’t interrupt!” she barked. “After they get you back on your feet, you’re mine. That’s when the hard work begins, do you understand?”


“No, I can’t say that I do,” he mumbled.


Major Maxwell’s scowl increased deepening the scar over her left eye. “Good. Welcome to PATCH-COM, Sergeant.” She gave a pointed look to the medical team who began once again wheeling the gurney towards a hospital bus.


Eastwood could only watch, flabbergasted, as the other two patients from the C-5 were brought in behind him, their gurneys locked securely into place. The scene was surreal. He was in Nevada, in Area 51, a military site historically obscured beneath a deliberate cloud of mystery to hide top secret weapons testing, combat aircraft, and battlefield hardware development, and it was real. PATCH-COM was real. What. The. Fuck?
The bus ride lasted all of fifteen minutes before it pulled to a stop outside of a concrete structure in the shape of a dome built into the side of a mountain. The dome parted in the center, the two halves sliding back on massive rails revealing an opening wide enough to drive a bus through. The bus driver threw the engine into gear and did just that. Behind them, the thick concrete dome walls closed, the massive structures rumbling like a freight train on the steel tracks, obliterating the sunlight and plunging them into darkness. The bus proceeded down a ramped tunnel illuminated by amber lights recessed into the roof. Eastwood felt the world falling away as they descended into the earth. They must’ve driven thirty feet down by his best guess before the ramp ended in a wide-open space bustling with activity.


Uniformed personnel walked around golf-cart sized vehicles weaving in and out of tunnels branching out from the main floor where the bus parked. It was a military base buried deep into the Nevada desert, one of which the general public was unaware existed, although conspiracy theorists had suspected all along. Little did they know, they were right, thought Eastwood. He looked up at a sign posted above the largest of the branch tunnels. It read, WELCOME TO CAMP LAZARUS-WHERE THE DEAD RISE.


Eastwood’s eyebrows shot up. “Fucking Twilight Zone shit.”


“Twilight Zone?” a groggy voice said.


Eastwood looked left at the man in the gurney next to his. The bandage over the man’s eye was thick, but the unbandaged hazel eye staring back at him was filled with confusion. “Yeah. Where we are right now, man. It’s like some crazy shit straight out of Rod Serling’s imagination.”


“I thought I was going to a rehab hospital. Why is it so dark?” The younger man looked around.


“So did I. And we’re underground. That’s why it’s so damned dim in here.”


The man pulled himself up on one elbow, a grimace of pain contorting his face. “Did you just say we’re underground?” He looked out the bus window taking it all in. “Where are we?”


Eastwood grunted. “The million-dollar question. Camp Lazarus, also known
as fucking Area 51 in Nevada.”


One black eyebrow shot up. “Shut the fuck up!”


“No lie, man. I met our new C.O. on the way in. Major Maxwell. She didn’t look or sound like she was kidding.”


The man paused, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but this all sounds crazy.”


“I’m aware. Still trying to wrap my head around it too. I’m Harold, by the way. Harold Tyler, U.S. Army Green Beret, Colorado unit. My friends call me Eastwood.” He extended his hand.


The other man reached out, shaking it. “Art Diaz, Corporal, Marines. Nice to meet you, Eastwood. Is that some Dirty Harry reference?”


Eastwood chuckled. “It is. Just too much of a mouthful to use in the field.

I’m a weapons specialist. Or…was.”

“Are. You are a weapons specialist. You never lose that.” Art made a face.

“Well, unless you’re a fucking sniper with no eye. Then maybe you lose your specialty.”

“You still have one good one, man,” Eastwood offered.

Art rolled his one good eye and glanced down at Eastwood’s body. “And you still have one good leg, I guess. Fucking broke dicks, that’s what we are.”

“Two, man. Two good legs. One to stand on to take a piss and the other to keep the ladies happy.”

Art laughed. “Because the ladies just love secondhand soldiers, right?”

“You two done strokin’ each other or can a dying man get some peace and quiet?”

Eastwood and Art looked over at the third gurney. The blond man lay wiping his eyes with his one and only hand.

“Well, shit, the dead has arisen,” said Eastwood.

“Like Lazarus,” said Art.

“It’s Matt. Rogers. Not Lazarus. What kind of biblical bullshit is that anyhow?”

“I’m Art, and that’s Eastwood, and we don’t know yet,” said Diaz. Two medical aides entered the bus and moved in their direction. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

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Second Chance Soldier Cover Tease

Psst! COMING IN JULY!

A soldier traumatized by war. A woman haunted by abuse. Two broken souls brought together by cartel violence. Can love heal their hearts?

Gerry "Mac" Maclean, Army Airborne Ranger, has lost much serving his country, but through a paperwork glitch, found a home at PATCH-COM. When a cartel war erupts south of the border he and his unit are sent in to evacuate American civilians caught in the crossfire. Faced with his first mission jump since his arrival at Camp Lazarus and the pressure of leading the team, Mac struggles with his inner demons. Only two things are keeping him from falling apart; loyalty to his team, and the haunted brown eyes of the beautiful American hostage Connie Wheeler. But what was she doing in Quintana Roo all alone? And why is she afraid to go home?

Continuing from the multiple award-winning debut novel Secondhand Soldier (Winner of Read Freely's TOP 50 Indie Books of 2019 and Author Shout's Recommended Reads Silver Medal Winner) comes the second tale in The Soldiers of PATCH-COM, a unit of wounded and broken soldiers, courageous and driven by integrity, fidelity, and honor...

Have you checked out Secondhand Soldier yet? What are you waiting for? Action! Intrigue! Romance! All in one incredible tale that launched a series. Download Secondhand Soldier Today! And stay tuned for the launch date/link for book two.

Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown is Read Freely's Book of the Month

Out today! Read Freely's readers chose my book, Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown as their April Book of the Month. And the review is out... What it's about Apparently there's an adage in Hollywood that the plots of all good movies can be summarised in 6 words. I don't know if that aphorism holds true for all good books, but it's definitely true for Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown. A sheltered librarian discovers the world. Sarah Brown is your stereotypical fictional librarian - severe and serious, but drop-dead gorgeous behind her stern glasses (I need to go back to confirm that she actually wears glasses, but let's assume that she does). She's lived a sheltered life, raised by a puritanical mother, with Regency romance novels as her only friends. But when her mother dies and leaves her a hefty insurance payout, Sarah decides to buy some Louis Vuitton luggage and head to Europe in search of "freedom, love, sex." Grab it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011J9KYTM/ What we love about it
I've read Exposed... twice now. I read it back to back, the way you'd listen to your favourite song. There's something about it - the pace, the throbbing tempo - that made it genuinely unputdownable to me. Most of the adventure takes place in Barcelona and Berlin, two of the most characterful cities in Europe. The author, Michele E. Gwynn, obviously knows both cities well, and is masterful in the way she uses their idiosyncrasies to paint in the background, fleshing out the world of the story. Freedom love, sex: in finding the latter two, Sarah comes close to permanently losing the former. The sex in this book is mind-blowing. There's a drop-dead gorgeous American man, a trio of bisexual German dominatrixes, a smooth-talking Dutch sex club owner. But I don't want to sell this book to you as something less than what it is: it's not all sex. What drives it along is a tale of international crime, kidnapping, pedophilia and evil. Sarah Brown came to Europe looking for adventure. There's a chance that she just might have bitten more than she can chew. Grab it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011J9KYTM/ Psst! The entire series is available on Amazon and #KindleUnlimited.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

***CONTEST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS*** As many of you know, I write two series of military romance (The Green Beret Series and The Soldiers of PATCH-COM). What y...

5 Stars for Exposed from Reader's Favorite!

For immediate release: Author's new book receives a warm literary welcome. Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Romance - Suspense book "Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown" by Michele E. Gwynn, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011.... Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies. "Reviewed By K.J. Simmill, Award-winning and Bestselling Author for Readers' Favorite Michele E. Gwynn's Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown is an erotic romance following Sarah Brown. Sarah was a virgin in every sense of the word; not only had she never known the touch of a man, but she had never even left her home town. When her friends left for college she stayed behind, taking a job in the only place she had felt at peace from her overbearing, controlling Christian mother. She stayed as her mother got sick, and nursed her through cancer, but when the inevitable happened Sarah found herself with a new life, one with no restrictions or inhibitions, and she intended to explore everything she had dreamed of. Little did she know the start of her adventure would bring her something more than she had bargained for, and her travels would pull her into a situation where a life hangs in the balance. Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown by Michele E. Gwynn is an easy flowing, engrossing, and gripping tale where you find yourself drawn to Sarah as she does something she has never done before; lived. Casting off the cocoon of her old life she undergoes a metamorphosis, emerging as the person she wants to be. There are plenty of steamy erotic scenes found within, from dalliances to the more perverse in nature, and they are scripted beautifully. Steamy, passionate, and tasteful, just as it should be. Amidst her journey of discovery are an involved plot, lovers, friends, dangers, and discovery as events unfold and reach their ultimate climax. I enjoyed the style, and how Michele E. Gwynn writes such erotic scenes without any crudeness or vulgarity; everything flowed seamlessly and was linked in ways you see unfolding. A good plot and cast where even supporting characters come alive in their own way." You can learn more about Michele E. Gwynn and "Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown" at https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi... where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages. Readers' Favorite LLC
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Eastwood Needs Your Votes!

Hey Hey, Special Forces & Military Romance Fans! I have some exciting news. My book, Secondhand Soldier, the spinoff from my Green Beret series (Eastwood's story) is officially in the top 100 of the Read Freely's Top 50 Best Books of 2019 Contest for Romance. Over the next few weeks, they will be whittling that number of 100 down to the Top 50, which means Eastwood needs your votes! If you have a quick moment, please stop by and vote for Secondhand Soldier. I got here because of all of you. Let's go all the way to the top of the list! Love you all, and the truth is, it would take me an entire book to express how grateful I am and how much I appreciate you for reading these stories, and Susan for inviting me to write in her world which led to Sgt. Harold Tyler's spinoff in The Soldiers of PATCH-COM. Thank you, thank you, thank you! xoxoxo (I rambled. I know. But I'm so excited!!!) VOTE HERE: http://www.readfree.ly/vote-50-best-i... #newrelease #militaryromance #ReadFreely #readerfavorite #Vote

$0.99 Sale on Secondhand Soldier!

From Bestselling Author Michele E. Gwynn comes a new, action-packed romantic series, The Soldiers of PATCH-COM. When he lost his leg, Eastwood didn't expect either a second chance or love to find him. Now, he must protect both! Amazon: https://buff.ly/2nWvRY8 Sale ends midnight, Sept. 30th. Grab your eBook Today!

Cover Reveals! Two New Books Coming This September

Psst! Hey, readers....coming this fall, from Aces Press, book three in the Green Beret Series and Indie Published, book one in my spinoff series, The Soldiers of PATCH-COM. Freeing Fatima introduces Skyscraper's story and Secondhand Soldier reveals what happened to Eastwood. The action you love continues and the romances sizzle and melt your heart. Stay tuned for links to their pre-orders coming in August! Follow me on Amazon so you won't miss the moment they're available.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006M6U42U


#comingsoon #militaryromance #military #romance #newrelease

Loving Leisl Now on Pre-Order

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER Loving Leisl, book two in the Green Beret series, Special Forces: Operation Alpha is now ready for you to One-Click! Pre-order now and it will be delivered to your Kindle on March 12th. Are you excited? Sergeant Leisl Craig spent her life fighting for everything she'd earned including becoming a combat nurse—alone. Then cancer threatened to take it all away. Until now, she never needed anyone...and then she met Doc. For Sergeant Major Jason Lee Gordon, codename Doc, a Green Beret medic in a tight-knit special operations group, life happened, and he rolled with it. The easy-going charmer only ever had to flash his dimples and women lined up outside his door, already half in love with the caring Doc. But casual hookups were growing old after seeing his friend and team leader, Outlaw, fall in love. He’d begun to think he’d never find his special someone until a sniper ambush brings him to a quiet, troubled nurse. Focused on her own pain, she is unimpressed by the handsome soldier’s overtures, ignoring him as she worries what will become of her, of her career, and Pooch. But instead of being put off when she rebuffs him, he finds himself more intrigued, especially after overhearing Leisl pouring out her heart to a stray dog. Disturbed by her plight, he can’t walk away. Something about her pulls him in and Doc begins an all-out charm offensive to win over the red-haired nurse. When the base is attacked by terrorists and his mission goes south, events unfold leading to secrets, old and new, that can tear apart their budding relationship. Can Doc accept her past and convince her to fight for a future together? Loving Leisl on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NYHJDN9 Did you miss the first book in the Green Beret Series? No problem! Rescuing Emma is available on KindleUnlimited too. Grab it. Read it. Love it. Review it, and then move on to Loving Leisl. Rescuing Emma on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Emma-... #read #newrelease #military #romance #specialforces #GreenBeret

The Cold War Case that Launched a Career

The cold-war case that launched a career... The Making of Herman Faust, a Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series prequel novella is now available on #KindleUnlimited. Go read it and get sucked into your next favorite crime novel series. (Don't forget to leave a review!) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074DSKCTT #crime #drama #detective #policeprocedural #coldwar #suspense #thriller #read