R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 82
July 16, 2021
B@@K REVEAL: I Am Ayah by Donna Hill
I Am Ayah
Donna Hill
Published by: Sideways Books
Publication date: August 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
History and the present collide in this fascinating and poignant new novel from Essence bestselling author Donna Hill.
Full description TBA
Author Bio:
My official writing career began in 1987 when my first short story was published. My first novel, Rooms of the Heart was published in 1990. Since then there have been a slew of books and short stories that I've had published, from romance to women's fiction, chic-lit, erotica and mysteries. I enjoy them all. Three of my novels were adapted for television so that was exciting. I've had the honor of conceptualizing and editing several collections: After the Vows, Midnight Clear, Where There's a Will, Indecent Exposure, and The Hot Spot. I currently teach at Medgar Evers College and live in Brooklyn, NY with my family.
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BOOK BLITZ: Of Gilded Flesh by Gordon Gravley #GIVEAWAY
Of Gilded Flesh
Gordon Gravley
Publication date: June 22nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Clockmaker Josef Kronecker makes more than just clocks.
In his study in Salzburg, he crafts lifesaving clockwork appendages for clients, including a famous pianist, a count who loves to dance, and his very own assistant, Anna, who suffered a harrowing attack before coming to work at Kronecker’s Timepieces.
When Josef meets Klara, a beautiful party attendee, he’s entranced and soon becomes unknowingly entrapped in a web of lies. His infatuation positions him as the victim of a royal bully, who presents an impossible challenge and requests an unthinkable sacrifice should Josef run out of time.
While Josef falls for Klara and is held to a deadline he can’t possibly make, Anna keeps the shop afloat as she faces her past trauma, proving that the number of limbs does not make a person whole, but rather the will to live.
Sustaining life is Josef’s calling, but now it’s his life on the line. As the clock ticks down, he realizes that while infatuation is a powerful thing, love is deeper and sometimes goes unseen, and it seems adopting Anna’s unwavering will to live is the way to survive.
Honest, inventive, and both heartbreaking and heartwarming, OF GILDED FLESH is a captivating story about resilience and how much we have to live for.
EXCERPT:
The clinking of tools and the orange light of candles trail from the workroom in the back of the shop. Anna enters the space through the open curtain. Expecting to see Josef hovering over Duke Brunner’s artificial heart, she’s surprised to find the clockmaker tinkering with the mechanical boy, Joop, instead. Josef inserts the Rainbow Moonstone-and-marble balls into its vacant eye sockets.
The clockmaker leans back and moves a burning candle from one side of Joop’s head to the other. “Come see,” he says.
Anna moves to Josef’s side—close to him, but not too close.
“They catch the light with such brilliance,” he says. “Thank you, Anna.”
He reaches for her hand, yet she finds herself pulling away. Piano music comes from the other side of the shop and hovers between the two of them. Josef gives a curious look.
“Pascal is here already?”
“He came by last night…and never left.”
Josef turns to her, taking in the warmth she emits like a gently burning hearth. “I see.” He turns away and disappears into the darkness of the shop.
Anna moves closer to Joop and rests her left hand beside him. She lowers herself to a stool.
“Oh, Joop. What have I done?”
The boy stares vacantly back as a tear rolls down her cheek.
“I killed a man. He was so very horrible—a demon—but who am I to pass judgement and execution? My vengeance has made me no better.”
Another tear falls.
“I’m worse, even. For I’ve gone and lain myself with a man I do not love.”
Joop’s hands slips from his lap and rests upon hers. The comforting, humanlike gesture from the unhuman boy sparks a faint grin to her lips and then a flood of tears.
“And worse still…I want to again.”
Author Bio:
Gordon Gravley has been making up stories all his life. As a child, they would take the shape of rudimentary comic books, and Super-8 movies. As he was drawn to stage-acting in high school his stories became one-act plays, and then feature-length screenplays - none of which ever saw the light of the big screen.
It wasn't until his thirties that he finally decided to take the plunge, and like a real writer he made his stories into, well...stories. And just like a real writer, his efforts garnished multiple rejection letters. Twenty years later, those efforts would culminate into his first self-published novel, Gospel for the Damned.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Gordon moved around - California; Colorado; Alaska; Northern Arizona - before eventually settling in Seattle, Washington. Having called the Northwest his home since 1998, he doesn't expect to be moving elsewhere anytime soon. There, he continues to make up stories, write novels, and live with his wife and son.
Subscribe to the author's monthly newsletter, "from...Another Writer", via his website www.gordongravley.com.
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July 15, 2021
BLEEDING SOULS SAVED BY LOVE! The Dragon's Enforcer by Pixie Stormcrow #NowLive
(Hong Kong Triad – Feng Lung Triad Group) Fable Wars, A Dark Mafia Romance
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛, 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑣𝑢𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑, ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒.
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒.
Charlotte Leung’s father, nicknamed Dragon Brother within the Hong Kong Triad, sent her overseas long ago to escape an underground life. But when he passes away, she returns to Hong Kong only to find that she is now the grand prize of a succession war. So before blood and violence can decide her future, she runs away, straight into the enemy faction’s territory.
Samuel Chan had made three major mistakes in his life. The first was running away from home to join the Ming Hain Tong Triad faction. The second was agreeing to let Big Brother train him to become an enforcer. The third was taking in the mysterious girl who stumbled into Big Brother’s training hall where he teaches. He should ditch her but something about his latest student brings out all his protective instincts. Now a world of trouble is heading for them both, and he must decide if he should be listening to his brain or his heart.
Because training the heir to the Dragons’ throne is only the beginning.
Bleeding Souls Saved by Love! A Fable Retelling of Training Your Dragon
PLEASE VOTE for this title in Goodreads Most Anticipated Romance Releases of July: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/154715.July_2021_Most_Anticipated_Romance_Book_Releases
Be sure to join the Facebook Group to stay up to date with cover reveals, new releases, and general carousing as this amazing collection of Wicked Warriors MC & Fabled Mafia Wars fable retellings is unveiled: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bleedingsoulssavedbylove
Bleeding Souls Saved by Love!
B@@K REVEAL: Christmas Grace by Mindy Steele
Christmas Grace
Mindy Steele
Published by: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: October 26th 2021
Genres: Adult, Romance
Second chances and the Christmas spirit abound in Mindy Steele’s heartwarming novel, one of faith, love, and the power of community.
Grace Miller believed herself in love with the charming Englischer who eventually broke her heart. Now alone except for the secret life growing inside her, she arrives in the unfamiliar small village of Walnut Ridge, Kentucky, to hide and hopefully gain forgiveness.
She is pleasantly surprised, however, to find a tight-knit, welcoming group who help her heart grow right alongside her belly. And with the holidays around the corner, there’s plenty of preparations to occupy her mind. Also occupying her mind? Her strong, protective neighbor, Cullen Graber, the town’s blacksmith, who seems intent on not allowing her to ever suffer alone.
Cullen Graber gave up on love after too many losses early in life. He planned to live out his days focusing on his smithy business, yet the beautiful and mysterious Grace refuses to leave his thoughts. But can they open their hearts to God’s grace and create a new family together before Grace must return home?
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Author Bio:
Raised in Kentucky timber country, Steele writes Amish Romance peppered in humor, using rural America and the residents as her muse. Steele strives to create realistic characters for her readers and believes in engaging all the senses to make you laugh, cry, hold your breath, and root for the happy ever after ending. A hopeless romantic, with a lyrical pen, her readers will find something of themselves within her pages.
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July 14, 2021
B@@K REVEAL: The Highlander's Pirate Lass by Heather McCollum
The Highlander’s Pirate Lass
Heather McCollum
(The Brothers of Wolf Isle, #2)
Publication date: August 23rd 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance
Description TBA
Sequel to:
Author Bio:
Heather McCollum is an award-winning, historical romance writer. With over twenty books published, she is an Amazon Best Seller and a Readers' Choice winner.
The rugged beauty and rich history of Great Britain captivates Ms. McCollum each time she visits. The country's history and landscape have been a backdrop for her stories since her very first book.
When she is not dreaming up adventures and conflict for brawny Highlanders and feisty heroines, she spends her time educating women on the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. She is a survivor and resides with her very own Highland hero and three spirited children in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.
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BOOK BLITZ: Honorable Rogue by Linda J. Parisi #GIVEAWAY
Honorable Rogue
Linda J. Parisi
(Blood Rogue, #2)
Publication date: July 13th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
There is the blood and can only ever be the blood. So how can love survive in a world of pain?
As a Roman gladiator and slave, vampire Hunter Pierce only knew death and destruction. Never love.
Dr. Victoria Roberts only knew love and safety, never fear or death, until the day her life was shattered with a home invasion that destroyed her world.
Now Hunter and Tori’s worlds collide, with Blood Rogues continuing to menace both human and vampire alike.
Tori is in danger and it’s all Hunter’s fault. To keep watch of the clever doctor, the vampire enlists
her to aid in finding a cure for Nirvana, the dangerous poison rogue vampires are using to kill.
When Tori is kidnapped, Hunter faces his corrupt former master and a race against the clock to save his own life.
But can a vampire who has only watched out for himself risk his life, and his immortality, for the love of a human?
Can a woman who has lost everything rebuild her shattered heart with a man who thinks he hasn’t got one?Only love, trust, and an Honorable Rogue can save them all.
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—
EXCERPT:
Tall, with auburn hair swept up into a Grecian knot, she wore the same dress as the other women who stood by Stacy as she married Charles.
Hunter hadn’t really noticed her before, and he wondered why as he found himself walking toward a small set of stairs. Something about this woman tugged at him. She seemed…sad, and he wondered what sadness could intrude on such a festive occasion. “Apologies. The night is beautiful, the silence self-explanatory. May I?”
She turned. Her brown eyes reminded him of amber glass, bright in the moonlight which made him think of being alive and unfettered. Yet her gaze held the vulnerability of a doe and the threads of a pain he could only guess at. “Free country.” She turned back to the skyline. “Friend of the groom?”
“Yes. For quite some time.” Hunter bowed his head. “Hunter Pierce at your service.”
The line of her mouth softened from straight to curved. “Chaz said those very words the first time we met,” she murmured. “I’m Tori. Tori Roberts. Friend of the bride.”
“I gathered by your dress although I was a little late for the ceremony,” he remarked.
“We’re sisters. I couldn’t want anything more than for Stacy to be as happy as she is right now.”
Hunter frowned. “Stacy didn’t mention any siblings.”
Tori laughed softly and Hunter enjoyed the sound. “Sorry. Not by blood. We’re sorority sisters. Best friends.”
“Ahh. Would you like to sit? He indicated a stone bench nearby.
She faltered and Hunter found her hesitation unsettling. But then she agreed which he found to be even more unsettling. “Not too long otherwise they’ll send out a search party.” She placed her pocketbook on the bench. “Have you known Chaz long?”
He allowed a slight smile. “Long enough.”
She glanced toward the ballroom windows then back at him and she rose slowly. “If you’ll excuse me? As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I really need to get back.”
Hunter stood also. He wondered how someone so astute could be so sad inside. So he asked, “A question before you go?” She lifted her chin, almost a dare to continue. “Why are you so sad?”
She reached for the small pocketbook sitting on the bench. The movement caused her shoulder to hide part of her face. Hunter knew all about hiding.
“How do you know I’m sad?”
“Part of my business is reading people. Can you tell me a few moments ago you weren’t?”
She stepped back trying to put distance between them. “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”
“Agreed.” Hunter approached her as he would a doe trying to suppress the predator inside. “You wear a mask and if I may be so bold, I think your friends would prefer you didn’t.”
“Really.” Her brows drew together. “Was this part of your ‘service’?”
“Apologies,” he said, inclining his head. “I’ve found most people prefer the truth—eventually.”
She bit her lip, paused, and then blurted, “What’s your truth?”
Hunter found he had to hold back a bitter guffaw. “I’m a vampire.”
“Wow.” Her mouth opened, no sound came out, and then laughter burst from her lips. “That is the first time anyone has ever used being a vampire as a pick-up line on me. Incredibly inventive.”
She clapped her hands together lightly. Whatever had possessed him to tell her his most guarded secret? Nonplussed, he answered, “You asked for the truth. I gave it.”
“Right,” she answered. “I wonder what Chaz would say if he knew.” She clapped again but the sound faded as he drew even closer.
For the first time in a very long time, Hunter found himself completely engaged by a woman. He stepped forward and this time, she didn’t step back. He lifted his arms to circle her body and said, “He would tell you I have no business thinking what I’m thinking.”
She lifted trembling fingers and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear yet her lips lifted with an almost roguish smile. “Would he now?”
Author Bio:
As a major in biochemistry with a minor in English literature, Linda has always tried to mesh her love of science with her love of the written word. A clinical research scientist by day and NJRW Golden Leaf award winning author by night, she creates unforgettable characters and puts them in untenable situations, much to their dismay. Choices always matter and love conquers all, so a happy-ever-after is a must. Linda is the current Treasurer of Liberty States Fiction Writers. She has served on the boards of other writing organizations, and loves to teach the craft of writing at worshops and conferences. She lives in New Jersey with her husband John, son Chris, daughter-in-law Sara, and Audi, a Cocker Spaniel mix who had her at woof!
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July 13, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Daughter of Hades Collection by Dani Hoots #GIVEAWAY
Daughter of Hades Collection
Dani Hoots
Publication date: November 22nd 2020
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
What would you do with the dichotomous power over life and death? For Chrys, apparently, it was to stay cooped up in the Underworld all her life. She wishes she could leave and see what the human world is all about, but her Father would never allow it, as she was never supposed to be born. If Zeus found out, she would be sent straight to Tartarus. So she has stayed in Hades’ palace all her life, her only friends being a punk whom she convinced her father was a genius tutor, and a demigod who she may or may not have almost kissed (father would be so mad if he found out).
After a huge fight with her mother Persephone, Chrys decides she can’t take it anymore and has to travel to the human world, since her mother loves it so much more than she seems to care for her own husband. With her two best friends, Chrys travels through Oceanus and finds herself in London, England. Ready to experience what it was like to be human, Chrys decides they can stay for a couple of days before having to return.
Nothing could go wrong in that short of time, right?
This is the entire Daughter of Hades Collection:Endangered (Book 1)Engaged (Book 2)Entangled (Book 3)Enchanted (Book 4)
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—
Only 99¢ for a limited time!
—
EXCERPT:
Hello and welcome to the Underworld. My name is Chrys, and I am the daughter of Hades. May I take your coat?
I really wanted to say that to the group of recently deceased that stepped up to my father, begging him not to send them to Tartarus, the place of eternal torment—pretty much where all the bad people went. Beside Father was Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aiakos, the other judges of the dead. I sure as Cronus didn’t want to be judged by that deadly trio. First off, they had been here longer than I had, since Zeus appointed them, and although nothing really ages here after death, they seemed to be older and grumpier than ever before. And I, unfortunately, had to witness today’s session of pleas because “I needed to learn the ins and outs of the business in case anything ever happened.” At least, that is what my father, Hades, kept telling me.
Father sat there, quiet, as the three stooges (that’s what I called them in my head, if they ever found out, I would be in so much trouble) examined the next contestant. The man before them was on the fence of being sent to either Tartarus or the Asphodel Meadows, which was why he was being judged. I already knew my father’s decision, since he was quite predictable when it came to judging people.
It would be Tartarus.
Father always took a long while, as if his decision hadn’t already been made. He could have finished judging today’s deceased already if he didn’t take his time about it. It annoyed me tremendously, which I knew he could tell as I sat there nervously fighting with my dress sleeves.
One of the men went down on his knees. “Please, have mercy on me. I never meant to do those things, had I known— “
“Had you known, you would have been perfect, right?” Hades interrupted with a scowl. “Done everything you could to be in paradise? There are no second chances here, the gods have given humans a chance to obey them, a chance to live in paradise. It is not our fault you don’t see the signs.”
I let out a brief yawn, trying to cover it with my hand, but my father noticed right away and gave me one of his cold looks. I tried my hardest to sit up straight, to appear as though my mind hadn’t drifted off to thinking about meeting up with my friends Huntley and A.J., or what I told Father was “being tutored about modern Earth affairs” by these friends of mine. Really, we just hung out and tried not to get into trouble.
Tried was the key word there.
“Tartarus. Send in the next one,” Hades ordered.
Author Bio:
Dani Hoots is a science fiction, fantasy, romance, and young adult author who loves anything with a story. She has a B.S. in Anthropology, a Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning, a Certificate in Novel Writing from Arizona State University, and a BS in Herbal Science from Bastyr University.
Currently she is working on a YA urban fantasy series called Daughter of Hades, a YA urban fantasy series called The Wonderland Chronicles, a historic fantasy vampire series called A World of Vampires, and a YA sci-fi series called Sanshlian Series. She has also started up an indie publishing company called FoxTales Press. She also works with Anthill Studios in creating comics through Antik Comics.
Her hobbies include reading, watching anime, cooking, studying different languages, wire walking, hula hoop, and working with plants. She is also an herbalist and sells her concoctions on FoxCraft Apothecary. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and visits Seattle often.
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July 12, 2021
B@@K REVEAL: Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker
Hold My Place
Cassondra Windwalker
Publication date: January 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Obsession never dies.
When librarian Sigrun falls head-over-heels for the sophisticated and very married Edgar Leyward, she never expects to find herself in his bed—or his heart. Nevertheless, when his enigmatic wife Octavia dies from a sudden illness, Sigrun finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance worthy of the most lurid novels on her bookshelves.
Sigrun soon discovers Octavia wasn’t Edgar’s first lost love, or even his second. Three women Edgar has loved met early deaths. As she delves into her beloved’s past through a trove of discovered letters, the edges of Sigrun identity begin to disappear, fading into the women of the past. Sigrun tells herself it’s impossible for any dark magic to be at play—that the dead can’t possibly inhabit the bodies of the living—but something shadowy stalks the halls of the Leyward house and the lines between the love of the present and the obsessions of the past become increasingly blurred—and bloody.
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Author Bio:
Cassondra Windwalker is a poet, essayist, and novelist presently writing full-time from the southern Alaskan coast. She enjoys hearing from readers via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, smoke signals, and interstellar songs.
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BOOK BLITZ: Nefarious by Mary Ann Marlowe #GIVEAWAY
Nefarious
Mary Ann Marlowe
Publication date: July 13th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary
Warning: What you’re about to read is not a romance . . .
Diabolical Wall Street traders, Dane Russ and Val Montgomery, vaulted into fame and fortune as the power duo of financial technology. But after they lost the internet trading company they built from the ground up to ruthless Geraldo Valencia, they had to tuck tail and run to a Midwestern firm. Dane deals with the boredom by leaning into his playboy ways. Meanwhile Val plays the role of a scrupulous mentor, while secretly playing mind games with everyone at the office.
When Geraldo’s daughter shows up as an intern in Val’s summer training program, Val sees the perfect opportunity for her longed-for revenge—she’ll teach the girl nefarious business practices and send her home ethically compromised. But Dane’s not interested because he’s stumbled across his own opportunity for vengeance—a chance to seduce Noelle, the new CEO, and the woman who spurned him years ago.
As Val and Dane play cat-and-mouse with everyone else, their long-simmering history of unresolved romantic injuries with one another begins to burn beyond their control. While Dane doesn’t notice that a jealous Val has set him on a path to ruin Noelle, Val’s blind to the traps Dane has laid to bring her down. Although they’re adept at using everyone around them like chess pieces, their interpersonal game has no rules and can only end with their mutual destruction. If they don’t agree to a cease fire, Val’s reputation will be destroyed and Dane will lose his heart before he even realizes he’s risked it.
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—
EXCERPT:
Val scanned the other interns, chess pieces on her board, sizing up their value to her. So far, the only one with the chutzpah to approach her sat at the far corner of the table. Anthony. He stood out in the way he sat. Leaning back in his chair, one foot crossed on his knee. Val raised an eyebrow at him, and he straightened up and put his forearms on the table. Now they were all a neat row of matching pawns.
The door swung open, and Dane waltzed in. Fifteen intern heads swiveled away from Val and gawked at him. Anthony vacated his chair with alacrity, as though he feared someone else might beat him to it. He gestured for Dane to sit, but Dane’s lip curled up on one side in disdain, and he simply leaned against the back wall, languidly pushing a stir stick around his Styrofoam coffee cup. Dane never sat at meetings. These kids will learn.
Anthony sheepishly pulled his chair back and returned to his place at the table.
As Val waited for order to return, she let her gaze linger on Dane, draped against the wall in all his languorous beauty. She knew he’d spent a fortune to look like he did, but knowing it didn’t make her appreciate it less. Of course, she’d seen him before he’d learned to groom himself so handsomely. She’d taught him after all. But he’d been born with those dark sultry eyes and that decadent luscious mouth. Fully aware she was drinking in her fill, he puckered his lips like he might blow her a kiss.
She inhaled, searching for a hint of his scent. If it wouldn’t be considered unseemly, she might be tempted to cross the room and take him up on his implied offer.
Instead she turned her attention to the interns, now waiting for her lead.
“This company,” she continued, “was founded by Martin Fleetwood in 1957 with a specialization in mortgage trading.” Val clicked through the slides, expanding on the historical events that nobody wanted or needed to know. The subject of the slides moved on to the current state of the company. “Have any of you researched the company’s stock position?”
Anthony raised his hand. “Yes, ma’am. Stocks are trading at thirty-eight as of this morning.”
Val glanced at Dane. “Are we up or down?”
Anthony opened his mouth, but Dane’s voice commanded the room’s attention. “The market’s hot, and our stock is rising.”
Val controlled her expression, but the corner of her mouth rose slightly. “What do you make of our throughput?”
Dane lifted his shoulders from the wall, engaged now. “I like our position with regard to market penetration.”
The interns had stopped taking notes, and their heads followed the volley as though they were spectators at a tennis match.
Val set up the shot. “And the projected yield?”
“Coming together.” Dane crumpled the Styrofoam and tossed it into the trash bin.
Val exhaled. “Our stockholders will be very satisfied.”
Dane reached in his pocket and produced a single cigarette. He toyed with it for a heartbeat before walking out the door.
Val bit the end of her pen. My most valuable chess piece moves in every direction.
Except into her bed.
No, she wouldn’t cede that game until she knew how they could both win.
With all the eyes back on Val, she proceeded to lecture them on expectations of ethics and compliance, chuckling to herself as they diligently took notes.
Author Bio:
Some Kind of Magic is Mary Ann Marlowe's first novel. When not writing, she works by day as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms, plus she has a second-degree black belt. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. She now lives in central Virginia where she is hard at work on her second novel.
She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.maryannmarlowe.com, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/marlowemaryann/, and at twitter.com/maryannmarlowe.
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July 11, 2021
#RachelReviews: Dino-Rift by Derek Borne
Releasing AUGUST 3, 2021; 261 pagesThe Rift.
A gateway to a prehistoric world.
For years, SauraCorps has kept its existence confidential while touting themselves as a run-of-the-mill dinosaur museum.
For two Utah teens, Kamren and Vivienne, a care-free night to themselves quickly turns into a daunting trek through an exotic, unfamiliar time.
Not only do they stumble upon SauraCorps’ nefarious agenda, they also encounter major discrepancies concerning the past that would rewrite history books as we know them.
Kam and Viv’s reliance on each other through the primeval environment also tests their friendship in unexpected ways.
Will they survive and make it home…together?
Note: Dino-Rift is set in the same universe as Derek Borne's "The Ultimate Agent" series.
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MY THOUGHTS
While the editor in me found the multiple points of view in Dino-Rift shifting too rapidly, the reader in me who loves to get lost in an adventure LOVED THIS BOOK. Most of the time, I read, write, and edit in the romance genre, so when I was offered an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at the chance to dive into something different. Oh, boy, was this different.
Special, even.
With Dino-Rift, Borne did not just cobble some words together, slap on a cover, and call it a book. No, he masterfully created another world (two of them, actually), and it’s clear with every plot twist, the hand-drawn dino images, and attention to detail that he poured his heart and soul into this project. From the page-turning action (I lost sleep reading Dino-Rift) to the witty dialogue (nerdy trivia and quotes FTW), from the fresh innocence of young love to the emotional gauntlet of parental love, from the outlandish and unfathomable unknown of the past to the simple, yet often harsh, realities of the present and corporate greed, Dino-Rift has it all, and more.
Are YOU ready to Rift?
