June 8, 2014 by Caroline Barker

GIVEAWAY x8 Crime thriller ‘STUNNER (A Ronnie Lake Mystery)’ by Niki Danforth

We are very excited to host this FANTASTIC 8x (yes, 8x!) GIVEAWAY of Niki Danforth’s crime thriller, ‘Stunner (A Ronnie Lake Mystery #1)’!!! We have 3 signed paperbacks up for grabs, as well as 5x Kindle editions. For more info on the giveaway please read on 🙂

Synopsis:

Beautiful. Bright. And possibly deadly…

That’s all Ronnie Lake knows about her soon to be sister-in-law, Juliana. But Ronnie is determined to find out the truth about her wealthy brother’s new lover—before he throws away his happiness, his fortune…maybe even his life. Who is this mysterious woman, and where did she come from? What is she hiding? And how deep could the deception go?

First the family receives strange phone calls. Then a disturbing package appears at their estate outside New York City. Ronnie—a divorced, downsized, 50-something—seems an unlikely detective. But she soon finds she’s got an instinct for this type of work, as she falls ever deeper into a sinister world where people will do anything to escape their past. And Juliana may be the most desperate of them all.

STUNNER is the first book in Danforth’s Ronnie Lake mystery series. After a recent promotion on Amazon.com the book peaked at #1 in the Crime, Private Investigators, and Women Private Investigators categories, and #5 in the Mystery Category, with over 20,000 total downloads.

The audio book released on April 3 2014, is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

We will also be reviewing this fab read at a later date, keep checking in!!

About the Author – Niki Danforth

Niki Danforth, daughter of a Cold War covert intelligence officer, has the “thriller/adventure” gene in her DNA. After a career as a successful TV/video producer and director in New York, this empty-nester is picking up her first love of mystery books and recreating herself as an author in the genre. Danforth lives in the New Jersey countryside with her husband and two drama-queen dogs.

For more information, you can check out Niki Danforth’s website. You can also visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NikiDanforthAuthor, and her Twitter account at https://twitter.com/nikidanforth.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

For a chance to win one of 3 signed paperbacks give us a follow on Twitter – @areadersreviewb – and retweet our Stunner giveaway.

Alternatively, ‘like’ us on Facebook – A Readers Review – and leave a comment or share our post on Stunner.

For a chance to win one of 5 Kindle copies all you need to do is add your name in the comments box below, or on our Facebook page post at http://facebook.com/AReadersReview

The closing date is Sunday 22nd June 2014. The winners will then be randomly selected and notified as soon as possible.

GOOD LUCK in advance to all of those who enter 🙂

Caroline and Tina x

June 7, 2014 by Tina Williams

BLOG TOUR ~ LEVERAGE, by Nancy S. Thompson ~ Includes Author Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

We are delighted to help host the blog tour for what I think is one of THE most exciting releases of this year! LEVERAGE, by Nancy Thomson continues the tale begun in THE MISTAKEN, A Dark Romantic Thriller par excellence. Read on for the book synopsis, a substantial excerpt and teaser. You can also enter the author’s giveaway where e-books of both THE MISTAKEN and LEVERAGE are up for grabs alongside some SIGNED PAPERBACKS. Don’t forget to read my interview with the author where she answers questions about her writing and ideas for future works. Tina 🙂

SYNOPSIS:

Four years ago, Tyler Karras’ quest to avenge his wife’s
death led to all out war with San Francisco’s Russian Mafia. With the Bratva’s collapse and its king, Dmitri
Chernov, long dead, all Ty wants now is to put it behind him and enjoy a second
chance at life with his new bride, Hannah, and the child they’re expecting any
day. But Chernov’s heir, Grigory Dmitriev, has returned, bitter and determined.
He wants his kingdom back, and he’s more than willing to leverage Ty’s new
family to get it. First he targets Conner, Ty’s brooding nineteen-year-old
stepson, manipulating the boy into a vortex of sex, drugs, alcohol, and
gambling. Then he turns his sights on Hannah. At eight months pregnant, she’s
the ultimate bargaining chip. With both their lives in jeopardy, as well as his
unborn child, Ty has little choice but to do as Grigory commands—even if that
means assassinating the new leadership resurrecting within the Bratva.

But Tyler
swore he’d never kill again. He buried that monster four years ago and means to
keep it that way. Grigory, however, makes that vow impossible to keep.

With his new family on the line, Ty will cross further into
the dark side than he ever has before, challenging everything he believes about
himself, and forcing him to face the ghosts of his past. Only then will Ty
discover if he has the strength to do the unspeakable, to sacrifice his last
chance at redemption and save the lives of those he loves most.

EXCERPT:

The discomfort, as bothersome as it was, couldn’t chase away the unease that flittered through my stomach like butterflies. That feeling had become a permanent fixture in my core as of late, like there was all this extra room inside me now. I felt incomplete, half of me missing, and what remained couldn’t function on its own. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation. I’d been here before, and all the old habits and cravings associated with that came into sharp focus, while everything else pushed to the periphery and blurred.

I kept a small collection of liquor in the corner of my construction trailer, for those times when the client came by to celebrate the completion of a project or the granting of a long-embattled permit. I kept one bottle half-filled with water, my own little secret. No one ever questioned it. They all assumed it was vodka. But tonight, it stood empty, while the others danced temptingly before me like harem girls beckoning me to peek beneath their veils.

Come to me. I’ll help you forget. You know I can. I’ve done it so many times before. It doesn’t have to hurt anymore. Just take a drink, one small sip…

That voice clamored so loud, I couldn’t even remember pulling the stop from the decanter, or pouring the tequila into the stubby lowball glass. But there it was, my old friend, the amber devil, staring me in the eye after all this time.

How many times had I heeded its call, had I given in to the temptation to simply not feel? Because that was it, really, what brought me to this point, that pain, that loneliness, that undeniable knowledge that I had destroyed everything most precious in my life.

I feared that knowledge and ached to reject it in the quickest way possible. The amber devil had always granted me that wish, and oh, how I wanted it to yet again. For just one moment, just an hour, just this single evening. I wanted that drink. I needed that drink.

I peered down into the devil’s face and saw my past reflected back at me, all the weeks and months I’d spent drunk, scheming my vengeance, releasing my wrath against an innocent woman—Hannah. And then there was Nick, my troublesome little brother, who’d kept everything a secret in order to protect me. He’d sacrificed his life in our father’s name so that I might live.

And that pretty much summed it all up. I was half a man without Jill. I was half a man without Nick. And now, half a man without Hannah. What did that make me but a speck of humanity?

I tried to reconcile that with the man I once was, before I ever married Jill or Hannah. I relished my independence back then, which was why I’d tried so hard to disengage my brother from my life. I’d wanted to find out what it was like to be just me, on my own, with no one else to shape the boundaries of who or what I was. But over time, Nick and Jill had become enduring components in my life, and most certainly maneuvered the tools that cut and contoured the man I’d become.

After dealing with the crap that had consumed my world following their deaths, I thought I’d finally pulled myself together, and with Hannah a daily reminder of both my failings and my resurrection, I believed I’d come full circle. But no, I hadn’t. I was living, breathing proof you could never truly leave your past behind. It clung like a shadow, at times unseen, but never farther than my reach, always dark, forever uncontainable.

That’s what looked back up at me from that glass—that shadow.

My past.

AUTHOR BIO:

Nancy is a sunny California transplant currently living in dreary Seattle, Washington with her husband of twenty-four years, their son, a student at Seattle University, their giant snow dog, Jack, and his kitty, Skye. She works as a freelance editor and also has her own interior and architectural design business. When she’s not writing, editing, designing, or marketing—a rarity these days—Nancy keeps herself busy by cooking and baking, that is, when she can pull herself away from Facebook, also a rarity.

STAY CONNECTED WITH NANCY S. THOMPSON:

FACEBOOK ** EMAIL ** WEBSITE **TWITTER

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON ** B&N

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INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR NANCY S. THOMPSON

1. When did you start to write and what prompted you to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard?

I started writing my debut, The Mistaken, in March 2010. I was inspired by Jared Leto’s lyrics to “Hurricane” for his band Thirty Seconds To Mars: “Tell me, would you kill to save a life? Tell me, would you kill to prove you’re right?” It made me wonder what could make an otherwise good man commit a violent crime and could he ever return to the man he used to be. Those issues continued in the sequel, Leverage, as well.

2. Where do you find the inspiration for your writing?

In music mostly, from my favorite bands like Smile Empty Soul, Three Days Grace, Alice in Chains, Red, and Staind, all of whom produce very emotionally charged songs. But I also take some liberties with my own life experiences. It’s that whole “write what you know” thing.

3. How do you carry out your research to ensure that your writing reflects the people and the places you portray in your novels as accurately as possible?

As far as characters, it’s mostly just observation and pulling from my own life. Same with setting. I write about the places I’ve lived most of my life, San Francisco and Seattle predominantly. My villains are based on someone I had a little run in with a long time ago. Pretty scary, that one. I will admit to doing a great deal of research on the Bratva, or Russian Mafia, their presence in both San Francisco and Seattle, their businesses, their structure as an organization, their members, including prison life, and the meanings behind their notorious tattoos.

4. Your current series falls into the category of dark romantic suspense. Do you see yourself writing in any other categories in the future?

They’re more thriller than suspense, with emphasis more on a ticking clock and less on “whodunit.” The reader pretty much knows that up front. While I love every aspect of the thriller, I don’t do cops or detectives or political conspiracies. I prefer using everyday-type people. But as far as other genres, yes, I do have a more classic contemporary romance planned out, though, of course, it will have a very dark element to it. I can’t seem to stay away from the darkness.

5. Describe your writing process in three words. Planned, organized, & structured.

What have you found is the best thing about being a writer? I’d have to say it’s a toss up between having the freedom to express myself creatively, and meeting and becoming great friends with so many other writers and authors. It’s a tight community where most everyone pays it forward.

6.What have you found the most challenging aspects of being a writer?

That’s easy, the marketing. I hate promoting. I’m terrible at it. I don’t really know how to do it effectively, nor do I have the money and time to sell, sell, sell. But mostly, it bothers me to have to toot my own horn all the time, a necessary evil.

7. Have you any immediate plans for a future novel and if so are you able to share anything about it with us?

I have several brewing, but two in particular won’t leave me alone. One is the contemporary romance I mentioned earlier. It’s about a young woman, age sixteen to about thirty or so, and the three men in her life, her first love, a man who hurts her terribly, and the great love of her life, all whose lives intersect in one devastating event. The other is about an author who pens erotica. She finds herself the object of a madman’s obsession, a man who thinks the women who write and read BDSM actually invite violent sexual encounters.

8. Have you any advice to anyone who is thinking about becoming an author?

I could fill a book with advice, but I’d say the most important thing is to learn the craft. With self-publishing so easily accessible, there’s been a glut of hastily written books with poor writing, erratic structure, and very little editing. While the current market may be able to bear this, it won’t for long, so if a writer wants staying power in a sea of mediocrity, learn how to write well.

9. What do you like to read when you are not writing?

I’ve become so very picky lately, mostly because I’m an editor, as well as a writer, which means, when I’m not writing, I’m usually editing. When I do have time to read for pleasure, I’ll often pick up ten books before I find one that grabs and holds my attention. It’s typically a thriller with a strong romantic element running through it, but I do enjoy contemporary romance, too, as long as it’s not predictable and formulaic, a real problem in the genre as a whole. Whatever I read, it must be well-crafted and edited, and, most importantly, believable, even time travel books, which I LOVE!

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions Nancy and good luck with LEVERAGE and your future releases!

Tina 🙂

May 29, 2014 by Caroline Barker

21 Hours by Dustin Stevens – REVIEW

Blood-pumping, exhilarating excitement that cannot be missed!

Blurb: Felix “O” O’Connor is an ex-con from central Ohio that has spent the seven years since being released from prison working on a ranch in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Rarely does he venture out into the world and never does it come looking for him. Both of those things change when his twin sister Alexa “Lex” Borden calls from Columbus, Ohio to ask for his help.

Earlier that afternoon, she and her husband were both beaten unconscious and their two year old daughter abducted from their front yard. Nobody saw a thing, the police are stumped, and it is a well known statistic that if a child isn’t found in the first 48 hours, they rarely are.

O immediately drives back to Ohio and finds himself with just 21 hours to find his beloved niece before potentially losing her forever. Plunging himself into a world he’d long ago left behind, he crosses paths with criminal masterminds, human traffickers, gun runners, drug smugglers, blood-thirsty spectators and suspicious detectives all in the name of bringing her home.

Review:

I absolutely LOVED 21 Hours, a perfect action thriller suspense following the love and determination of an ex-con and uncle willing to do anything to save his niece after she is kidnapped by a gang of criminals during a violent attack of her parents. This story is packed full of tension, action, emotion and pace, leaving the reader no opportunity to disengage.

Not only do we have such an intense situation to begin with, but to add to the tension further we have the time aspect. After realising the police have no leads and seem to be lost, ‘O’ is told that it happens to thousands of children a year – many of whom are never found, and those that are found safely are usually found within 21 hours.

Written in first person, the reader can follow every thought, every move of ‘O’. This sets the reader up knowing that ‘O’ will not stop until the very end or until he no longer can. The pace of 21 hours is therefore fast, exciting, powerful, intense and strongly emotive.

Whilst 21 Hours has it’s fair share of violence, blood and gore it is all necessary for the story. It adds to the tension, action and excitement. There are shootings and fight scenes that become inevitable as there are times when ‘O’ simply has no choice, when it’s his only chance of defence and when he is quickly running out of time. The gangsters and criminal masterminds he is dealing with have no compassion, or remorse, and would shoot him dead in a second. Therefore, the reader is left in no doubt as to the measures ‘O’ is willing to take.

A fascinating aspect of 21 Hours for me was the relationship between ‘O’ and the lead female detective in the case, Watts. Watts is a strong and determined character, who believes she has summed up ‘O’ from her first meeting with him. She and her colleagues have suspicions that ‘O’ could be involved and with his track record of being an ex-con it is a possibility that his past has something to do with this.

Watts provides ‘O’ with another challenge as her methods of investigating and his are completely different. Unfortunately, Watts has seen and heard of too many of these kind of cases, and with no leads she is left to play the waiting game in the hope that the abductors call for a ransom. ‘O’ on the other hand doesn’t want to waste precious time, considering he may only have 21 hours. This is a situation that is certainly unique to ‘O’ and extremely personal, whereas one could argue that Watts has no emotional tie and is not a stranger with working and hearing of these types of situations.

There is a clash between these characters from the offset but the beauty of this is when Watts’ eyes are opened to the different sides of ‘O’. It almost becomes a love/hate relationship. One of which I hoped to blossom into something more. I would love to hear from these two characters again as I believe they are too good to leave alone.

I cannot express how much 21 Hours is right up my street. Being brought up watching many action films of the 1980’s and 1990’s this novel fits easily into this category with many similarities (most notably with Lethal Weapon, Commando, Ransom, and Con-Air for me), and yet still remaining original and exciting to read.

What the reader can’t escape is the sheer desperation ‘O’ has to saving his niece and bringing her home. The reader finds themselves cheering him on and when he becomes injured you feel the need to jump into the novel, pick him up, brush him down and tell him to ‘go get ’em’!!

A copy of 21 Hours was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest and fair review.

21 Hours by Dustin Stevens is available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

April 24, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Animus by Thomas Evans

Blurb: A family is torn in half when a careless killer evades justice. Jason McDowell’s bad choice to drive to work drunk one morning leaves a father dead, a daughter in a coma and her twin sister and mother to try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Three years later, while Jason has gone on with his life, ignorant of the struggles of his victims, someone has decided it is time for him to face justice.

REVIEW

Animus is a great thriller with a dark edge! I really enjoyed this book. The whole story is family/social based, making it easy for the reader to connect with the characters and their ordeals in their private lives. It is an emotional read at times, and there are some scenes of violence. Some scenes were expected and others more surprising. I would recommend Animus for a more mature reader of 16yrs+.

After Jason escaping justice, he returns to his normal life of drinking and generally past caring of anyone or anything. He disrupts the lives of all around him, i.e. his wife, children, brother and sister-in-law with his drinking and aggressive behaviour. The reader feels no compassion for him, at the same time as feeling disgusted at the lack of justice his victims received.

What is quite fascinating is how the victim’s wife, Janet, and daughter Kimberly are more alike than they both realise. Regardless of what they have been through they remain strong, looking after each other, praying for Krystal to wake up from her coma and trying as best they can to carry on with their lives. They both speak about Jason and how they are feeling to a degree, and yet neither of them share their darkest of thoughts.

Despite the obvious victims of all the misery, i.e. Janet and Kimberly, I found myself also feeling sorry for Angela and Mindy, the wife and daughter of Jason. As well as coping with an abusive, manipulative layabout and erratic drunk, they find themselves having to cope with terrible ordeals later in the story, without fully understanding the whole story behind them.

Animus is clearly well-planned, well-researched and very well written. The drama is continuous, leaving no opportunity for the readers mind to wander off course. The pace is steady, making the read easy to follow and enjoyable. Every paragraph is meaningful and adds to the story, making the editing just right in my opinion.

The author has managed quite well to avoid being over-descriptive regarding crime scene evidence, court proceedings and medical terminology so as not to lose the reader’s attention, especially given his background and the knowledge of the research he has carried out. Although, everything the reader needs to know is there and so it allows for an easy read, albeit dark and serious.

When I read a novel there are usually some background characters that I become fond of, and I found some great ones in Animus. Firstly, there was the doctor, Dr. Satish, who was attending to Krystal. He was quite supportive of Janet and her needs. She had someone to talk to and all along I was hoping for some romance to blossom there.

And secondly, Officer Marrow who was able to piece information between the incidents together. He had his suspicions, along with some circumstantial evidence and gut instinct but was always needing more evidence for the detectives to go on. I did feel for him at times, but really was torn between his needs and what I felt was acceptable. Officer Morrow did appear to care for those involved which also warmed me to him. In fact, I would love Thomas Evans to write another novel, perhaps based on Officer Morrow, or another case that he works on.

There are some surprises in this story which makes for a fascinating read, but some are quite sad. I actually like the more realistic novels at times and Animus certainly did grab my attention. It makes the reader ponder on what is legally wrong/right and what is morally wrong/right. I would love to read more from this author and his knowledge in these areas could make for some more fascinating stories!

A copy of Animus was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest and fair review.

Animus is available in Kindle edition or paperback at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

March 14, 2014 by Tina Williams

BLOG TOUR Forever Doomed, by Mary Ann Kempher

A Readers Review Blog is THRILLED to be participating in the blog tour for FOREVER DOOMED, a sexy romantic suspense. Read on for the book blurb, an exciting excerpt and 10 fun facts about the author Mary Ann Kempher!

book blurb

It’s not wise to wander the cruise ship Forever alone at night. You might not live to see daylight.

Detective Jack Harney agrees to do an old Army buddy a favor. Curt Noble had some personal business to attend to, he didn’t say what. What he did say was he needed someone to temporarily take over his duties as head of security on the struggling cruise ship Forever. Jack hesitates, but he owes Curt his life so agrees. He’s told the worst mischief he can expect to encounter will be the occasional shoplifter, or drunk. Instead, one week into the cruise, a beautiful red head and a member of the crew are ruthlessly murdered. Are the two murders connected? It’s up to Jack to find out. He must find the killer before the ship returns to Tampa’s port, or worse, before another dead body is found. This won’t be easy. The ship is old, it’s security systems outdated, and clues are few, or so it seems at first

It’s not just a sense of obligation that motivates Jack to agree to Curt’s request;

Jack moved thousands of miles, started over, and still can’t get Amy O’Brian out of his heart or mind. When she shows up on the ship, as part of a large wedding party, Jack must fight to stay focused. To make matters worse, Amy isn’t his only distraction; a sexy and mysterious woman has made it her mission to seduce Jack.

As the body count rises, and time slips away, Jack has to ask himself, “Did someone commit the perfect crime?”

forever doomed

maryann kempher

goodreads

purchase links

amazon us | amazon uk | barnes & Noble | kobo

excerpt

She quickly opened the pantry door and stepped inside. Oh good, my cake. By the sound of the wind, rain, and even the occasional thunder, she could tell the back door had finally been opened. She cracked the pantry door an inch and peeked out. A tall, muscular man was there, he was making a sandwich. She’d wait him out. The lights in the kitchen flickered on and off, then on again. Suddenly, another man entered the kitchen. Jeez, I’m never gonna get out of here.

“What are you doing in here?” she heard him ask. His tone concerned her. He seemed annoyed, maybe even angry. At least I’m not the only person in the kitchen that’s not supposed to be here.

The other man didn’t answer. He picked up a rolling pin and hit the guy on the side of the head, hard. The man fell to the floor with a thud. His head lay outside where she was hiding. Through the crack in the door, she could see blood on the side of his head, his eyes wide open and vacant. She swallowed hard and willed herself not to freak out. She’d need all her composure so she didn’t give herself away. She watched, shocked, as the man rushed to the kitchen’s swinging doors, looked out, then quickly returned. He picked up the dead guy and walked outside.

She wasn’t thinking straight. Should she wait, see if he was coming back? Should she run like hell and hope he didn’t see? She did what any good stripper would do. She went to the other side of her cake, bent down, and with all her strength pushed that cake out of the pantry, through the kitchen, and out of the cafeteria. She pulled up the hood up on her overcoat and kept it there until she arrived at her destination.

ten fun facts about maryann

1. I spent my honeymoon in Saudi Arabia. Someone approached our guide and offered to buy me.

2. I spent a year in Korea, about 90 miles from Seoul.

3. I’ve written two books. My first is a romance with a murder mystery, my second is a mystery with a dash of romance.

4. I grew up in Milwaukee Wisconsin, but moved to Reno NV when I was 15 years old.

5. My first job was at the Circus Circus casino in Reno. On their second floor, they have arcade games similar to a carnival, and a stage where acts are performed. I worked all the different games.

6. I’ve been married for 21 years.

7. My favorite food is spicy squid. My least favorite is cabbage.

8. I love to travel, but don’t get to do it as much as I’d like. My last big trip was to New York City. My last mini-trip was to St. Augustine Florida.

9. My first book is entered into a contest hosted by Romance Writers of America. Fingers crossed.

10. My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.

about the author

MaryAnn Kempher loves to write mystery with a dash of romance. She spent her teen years spent living in Reno NV where her first book, Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set. The setting for her second book, Forever Doomed, was inspired by her love of the ocean. Her writing influences include favorite authors Agatha Christie, Jane Austen and Janet Evanovich. Her guilty pleasures include any and all sweets, including a good cup of Mocha. She is married with two children.

contact maryann

facebook | website | twitter | goodreads

previous books

goodreads

Instead of feeding her late-night appetite, a midnight food run nearly gets 28-year-old Katherine O’Brian killed. She’s the only person to see the man who brutally murdered a local woman, and the killer is hell-bent on making sure she doesn’t talk.

Scott Mitchell left a broken engagement behind when he moved to Reno, and the last thing he needs is more melodrama. But when he and Katherine are paired for a college project, that’s what he gets. It can be very distracting when someone is out to kill your lab partner. Together, they try to figure out what the police haven’t been able to—the identity of the murderer. Passion flares, but with Katherine’s life in danger, romance seems like more than a bad idea.

Scott and Katherine will face jealousy, misunderstandings, lust, and rivals, not to mention attempted murder—and all before their first real date

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February 14, 2014 by Tina Williams

Spotlight on Forever Doomed, by Mary Ann Kempher

Today’s Book Spotlight is on Mary Ann Kempher’s Romantic Suspense FOREVER DOOMED!

Scroll down to peek at the book blurb and cover, read an excerpt, check out the purchase links and find out about the author and her previous work.

book blurb

It’s not wise to wander the cruise ship Forever alone at night. You might not live to see daylight.

It’s not just a sense of obligation that motivates Jack to agree to Curt’s request;

As the body count rises, and time slips away, Jack has to ask himself, “Did someone commit the perfect crime?”

forever doomed

maryann kempher

goodreads

purchase links

amazon us | amazon uk | barnes & noble | kobo

excerpt

Jack watched Marni leave, torn. Did he think she’d killed Pam? No, but she was keeping something from him, something to do with Pam’s murder. He looked down at his arm, seeing her small hand. His heart was still beating hard. It had taken real effort to hide his feelings when she’d touched him. After a few minutes, he started walking, and was soon standing outside Marni’s cabin door. He hesitated. He told himself he was just going there to talk to her, to try to make her tell him what he sensed she was holding back. But that was a lie. He reached up and knocked. She opened the door wearing a towel.

“I was about to take a shower,” she said.

Jack didn’t respond. He walked into her room, shoving the door shut behind him. He took hold of her towel and pulled her tightly against his body, his mouth covering hers, his tongue searching for hers, his hands yanking the towel off and tossing it to the floor. He easily picked up Marni and carried her to the bed. She pulled his shirt up over his head, her hands running themselves through his thick chest hair. She reached for his belt buckle, undoing it slowly, her eyes watching his. Then she pulled his pants down and gasped.

Oh my.

about the author

contact maryann

facebook | website | twitter | goodreads

previous books

goodreads

Scott and Katherine will face jealousy, misunderstandings, lust, and rivals, not to mention attempted murder—and all before their first real date

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January 7, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Gentleman Traitor by Alan Williams

Alan Williams’ ‘Gentleman Traitor’ Book Blurb (followed by review):

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WORLD’S MOST NOTORIOUS MASTER-SPY COMES IN FROM THE RUSSIAN COLD?

After years of exile in Russia, Kim Philby has had enough. He wants out. But where can he go? He knows too much to be let loose. Above all, he knows too much about his old accomplices who still operate at the highest levels of the British Establishment, occupying top Whitehall positions. So once he sticks his nose outside his privileged Soviet lair, the old wolf’s as good as dead. MI6, the KGB – above all, MI6 – will ruthlessly hunt him down. But Philby is, after all, one of the most skilful agents of all time. So he risks it.

Vicious power politics in London and Moscow… murder beside the Black Sea… bloody massacres in the heart of Africa – as Philby makes his break, violent death follows him. And British Intelligence is threatened with the exposure of the greatest infamy in its history…

Spy fiction from the same stable as Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

Originally released in 1974, Gentleman Traitor has been re-released in December 2013 by Hashtag Books.

I have to say that Gentleman Traitor was an on/off/on read for me, although I did read this over the busy festive period. The very first chapter gripped me with it’s drama and violence, after what was thought to be a group of terrorists entering a busy hotel in Africa, opening fire and killing every soul there, including youngsters! This was quite horrific and at one point in particular with young girls involved, it was quite emotional and tragic.

I just had to read on and longed to find out who was behind this attack. Were the culprits terrorists with serious political issues or could there be some other explanation to this horror? However, the following chapters focused on journalist, Barry Cayle, who was set to write a book on spy and traitor, Kim Philby, who had been living in exile in Russia for the last few years with a reputation of a man who likes a drink or two. Although the initial chapters were of interest and a great basis and background for the remainder of the story, I was a little disappointed that there was no more mention of the event from the first chapter and that the pace of the book was a little slower than I had expected.

The reader follows Cayle’s journey through most of the first half of the story and we find out about Philby’s desired comeback and the story picks up again at a nice pace as Cayle gets to meet Philby. Alan Williams describes the distances that Philby (and anyone connected to him) needs to make to keep everything under wraps extremely well and clear, making it a nice read to follow at the same time as providing the reader with a more complete picture of Philby’s way of life and everything he has to consider before making a move. There are moments in Gentleman Traitor when you simply just don’t know what is going to happen and when, making it an intense read at parts.

I like Cayle’s enthusiasm and determination to acquaint himself with Philby as much as he can. Cayle knows he is in dangerous waters but he still has this drive to discover as much as he can and to be as close as he can if and when anything should happen. Philby, although a traitor, doesn’t seem to be a character the reader dislikes. He has his problems and, knowing he is a hunted man, he has to go to extremes to avoid capture or even death. These events unfold in tragic and disastrous ways for some others, which is incredibly sad and unfortunate for those involved. However, I found myself wanting him to be able to make it through all of this and be able to live the rest of his life in a more relaxed manner and completely disconnected from the British and Russian Establishments.

I must admit a little more speed would have been welcomed during the first section but I must hand it to Alan Williams that he has written this novel well. With a great deal of politics continuing in the background of the main plot, involving the USSR’s KGB and the British MI5 and MI6 and also the geographical scope covering Europe and Africa mostly, one cannot doubt that Alan had extensive knowledge in this area. (I have later came to realise that Alan was in fact a great journalist himself, corresponding from across the globe, and at times when tensions must have been high, in Vietnam, for example.) It was also quite exciting to discover that Kim Philby was a real-life spy who did live in Russia. A character I am sure Alan Williams met once, briefly in Beirut. If so, this explains the storyline of Cayle and Philby, i.e. Cayle is possibly a fictional character based on Williams himself.

After hoping for a little more action in the first half, I did find the latter chapters somewhat fast moving and exciting in comparison. This half of the book certainly goes into the details of Philby’s ‘escape’ from Russia. From hijacking planes, travelling through Scandinavia, keeping an extremely low profile and maintaining an alias this second half becomes quite tense and gripping at times! Without wanting to spoil the ending, I have to say that I was surprised at the ending but found it interesting and liked it a great deal. For me, it was left open with a chance to write a sequel, however, I do like the idea that the reader can still ask questions and perhaps make up their own ending. This is not to say that on the most part stories weren’t wrapped up, because in many respects they were. The story truly came full circle.

Once I realised that Gentleman Traitor was written in 1974, before I began to read the book, I did consider how I would find the language of the era and questioned whether or not this would be a difficult story to follow. But, as I mentioned above Williams has written this thriller well. It is easy to follow, informative of some political views of the day and well explained. As I was born a good eight years after the original novel, my knowledge of the political states of the countries involved and the espionage that went along with it is very little. For instance, I was aware of the KGB in the USSR but only as I was an avid fan of the fictional tv series ‘The Professionals’ CI5 (the re-runs in the late 1990’s). Many of the episodes focused on foreign politics and MI5/6 and the KGB and more. Gentleman Traitor has made me more interested in the politics of the 1970’s, even if just to gain a small background knowledge.

I did carry out a little digging and found this great article on Alan Williams, and also found out some more ‘facts’ on Wiki.

Gentleman Traitor is available in Kindle edition on Amazon UK for 77p, and on Amazon US for $1.25. (Prices are correct at the time of posting but are subject to change.) You can also find paperback copies of Gentleman Traitor on Amazon too!

Gentleman Traitor was received gratefully by publisher, Hashtag Books, in return for an honest and fair review.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

January 6, 2014 by Tina Williams

One Way or Another You Will Pay, by Eve Rabi

Revenge of the Master Manipulator!

This novel is once again an original, emotional and compulsive work from Eve Rabi. It is a read that her fans will not want to miss and those who enjoy thrillers and dark romantic suspense will also enjoy. Do not read after the first paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers for book 1, You Will Pay- For Leaving Me (currently FREE on Amazon US and Amazon UK and Smashwords). Please note that as it describes scenes and the repercussions of domestic abuse, this series does contain scenes of violence and threat, some of it sexual.

In this and the previous instalment in the tale, You Will Pay: She Left her Abusive Husband He Took Revenge, (click title for our review), the author tackles the difficult and often taboo subject of domestic abuse. The abuser in this story is a sociopath who seeks brutal revenge on his wife who leaves him after years of abuse. There are harrowing scenes of threats, violence and murder and although not an easy read the ability of Eve Rabi to weave a compulsive and addictive story containing real life issues and characters with whom the reader can identify with is once more underlined. The remainder of this review contains spoilers for book 1.

In book 1, You Will Pay – For Leaving Me, we met Arena, married to businessman Tom. Tom likes to control Arena, from how she dresses to how she wears her hair and who she socialises with. His control also extends to their son Warren and after Arena becomes pregnant and their daughter Sasha is born, his behaviour turns violent. Arena finally takes the plunge and leaves him to make a new life for herself and her children. However, Tom dishes out the most terrible revenge imaginable on Arena and her family and is truly beyond redemption. Arena and Bear, the new man in her life, dish out their own revenge on Tom, which I absolutely loved! After the end of book 1, I was sort of happy that Tom had been incarcerated, although secretly I would have preferred him to have been AT LEAST 6 ft under! The fact that he was in prison due to the actions of Arena and Bear I regarded as natural justice after his sickening crimes against Arena and baby Sasha.

In book 2, Arena and Bear are happily married, living with Warren, Tom and Arena’s son, Bear’s daughter Amy, by his first marriage, and their own baby Savannah. All is fine and dandy apart from a series of abusive and threatening letters that Arena begins to receive from Tom, trying to persuade her to bring Warren to visit him. Arena does not respond to his letters and they abruptly cease. After a brief respite, the tenor of the letters changes and Tom claims that he is suffering from terminal cancer and that he needs to see Warren before he dies. Arena is torn between her hatred and distrust of Tom and the fact that he is in effect making a deathbed request that it would be heartless to ignore. After all what can he possibly do to her if she does visit as he is behind bars?

You need to read the book to see how Arena copes with the situation and the consequences of her decision on whether or not to acquiesce to Tom’s request. What I will reveal is that this instalment and Tom’s actions are just as chilling as book 1, as even from his prison cell Tom attempts to bring Arena, Bear and their family to their knees. Arena and Bear’s love is tested to the full and lives are put on the line. Once again this stellar read contains some intense and dark moments and once again I read it into the small hours.

I enjoyed finding out more about Bear in this book, such as what makes him tick, his relationship with Arena and how he seeks to protect her and their family from Tom. I felt for them both when they were faced with the terrible consequences of Tom’s actions and there were some truly heart rending scenes. I also enjoyed the character of Ritchie, Arena’s brother who supported them and the pivotal role played by the character of Ingrid.

This is perhaps one of Eve Rabi’s darkest works to date, Nevertheless it still contains her trademark scenes of intense love between the hero and heroine, the survival of a strong woman who survives against the odds, self-sacrifice, heart rending emotional scenes and a plot where the reader has absolutely no chance of predicting what will happen next, let alone the outcome.

I strongly rrecommend this book to fans of Eve Rabi and also to those who are not adverse to reading about difficult issues and examining the darker side of humanity.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

A copy of this novel was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Purchase links: Smashwords Amazon US Amazon UK

Eve Rabi’s website

Eve Rabi Facebook

November 22, 2013 by Tina Williams

New Release, Marsh Island #1 of The Hirebomber Series, by Oliver F. Chase

Release of First Instalment of Exciting New Mystery/Thriller Series!

Oliver F. Chase is a veteran Marine with a career in the FBI, whose mystery/thriller book, MARSH ISLAND (AEC Stellar Publishing Inc., November 22, 2013), is the first installment of The Hirebomber Series.

After a crushing injury, Army Ranger Phil Pfeifer is left for dead in the mountains of Iran only days before the start of the Gulf War. America cannot reveal such a violation of national sovereignty mere days before Kuwait is invaded. The body may heal but the heart takes longer.

Seeking a new life as a private investigator, Phil is hired to find a wayward husband who’s become enraptured with stars and predicting the future. A simple case and the midlife crazies stop when a boat captain is murdered at his feet and the Mafia chases him through the backstreets of Las Vegas. Pleading with Phil to continue, the terminally ill wife sends him into the tropics to face death, sharks, miles of open ocean, and prison.

Here’s what others are saying about it:

SHANNON A. THOMPSON, Award-winning author of the Young Adult Paranormal Romance, Minutes Before Sunset:

“What an absolute thrill. The mystery left me unable to guess what would happen next, and the prose was both delightful and haunting. Oliver F. Chase created a troubling beauty, even in the desert landscape, and the stars were as bright as the storyline. A great read for fans of detective fiction, suspenseful mystery, and thrillers.”

RANDOLPH PLOTTS, Avid reader of thriller books:

“The characters seemed real and knowable, and there was a wide variety of them. The author has a knack for description, not only for people but also for locations and situations! The book was a page-turner. I wanted to read just one more chapter before putting it down.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Oliver graduated high school and wanted to be able to fly, which was really all he ever wanted. The war was on and the Marines offered a way. He took it. Some five years later, Oliver was a vet with a Distinguished Flying Cross and a long list of combat missions – even a couple in that dark, secret world of political deniability. Oliver spent five years in a police department working narcotics and SWAT, and the next 22 in the FBI. He and his wife live on a small farm along the Gulf Coast near New Orleans.

Marsh Island by Oliver F. Chase

AEC Stellar Publishing Inc. – ISBN: 0989312801

Price: $13.79 – ISBN-13: 978-0989312806 – Pages: 328, Paperback, 8.3 x 5.8

Pub Date: November 2013

Media Contact Heather Hebert

September 25, 2013 by Caroline Barker

The One Percenters by John Podgursky

The One Percenters

In this dark psychological thriller/horror, The One Percenters, the reader has an insight into the mind of Edward Caine, who believes himself to be a one-percenter. A one percenter is one that can assist the natural selection process by ending the lives of those that do not seem fit to breed. Those that are only alive due to advances in medicine, technology and money.

Edward did not always think in this manner but after his wife’s rape and murder by a serial killer his mind drifts over time (and over a drink or two!) and he begins his mentally spiralling journey. His wife, Jill, was a good, loving human being with a kind heart. She was innocent. She didn’t deserve to die. In fact, Jill would have been perfect in the natural selection process, with her beauty and all. She most definitely wouldn’t have been picked by a one percenter!

Ed’s character, I thought, was fairly easy to connect with considering all he had been through with Jill. He is bitter and begins wanting revenge for her murder. However, as his thoughts become so dark as to even consider taking lives of those that had absolutely nothing to do with what happened, the reader begins to understand how disturbed this guy is. Although the connection largely gets lost by this point, I felt I just had to read on to know the outcome as John Podgursky leaves the reader asking questions of what path Ed is going to take and what will become of him.

In the beginning, even though it is a serious subject matter and Ed is in a state of depression and drink after losing Jill, he is so open with his thoughts that some off-the-wall suggestions and sarcastic, cynical remarks are made. However, as the novel continues it does become much more darker and serious.

The story is told from Ed’s POV. The written style of The One Percenters is as if Ed were talking to the reader directly as he tells his story in first person, past tense and the use of language is quite direct. The use of the direct and casual language can, at times, lighten the mood by making Ed’s cynical, sarcastic remarks a little comical. Because of this, I did find myself smiling to myself in some instances at Ed’s dry humour. Due to the written style it is a fairly quick read and set at a reasonable pace.

I was initially surprised as it read as a narrative from Ed’s POV. I was expecting the story to be told in third person, however after reading the story, that idea certainly wouldn’t work so well on the psychological side. I was also expecting the story to follow fellow one-percenter , as the synopsis mentioned ‘Edward and his brethren’. The further into the book you delve the more psycholgical horror you come across as Ed’s actions and indeed his thoughts become darker and darker. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart. The One Percenters is an adult read due to the seriousness of Ed’s thoughts and the violence and pyschological horror that this story offers.

There is a reference to ‘Doctor’ every now and then. This makes the reader think that Ed is possibly speaking to a psychiatrist at the end of the book. Will this be revealed towards the end? What will become of Ed, and will he accomplish what he set out to do? The reader has many questions and must read to the very end to reveal the full truth of this great thriller.

It is the significance of Jill’s rape and murder that start Ed’s pyschological problems. She was so innocent, so helpless. Ed begins to question the behaviour of humans and life, which leads to him believing that those that are ill, are ill for a reason: they are weak and so must die. It is only through money, technology and medicine that the ill are kept alive. This in-turn allows them to breed and pass on their weak genes and possibly weakening mankind. He, as a chosen one-percenter must help control this and eliminate these people. Will Ed allow his thoughts to control his actions, or will he give in?

I would like to thank the author, John Podgursky, for providing us a copy of his book in return for an honest and fair review. If you would like to contact the author, you can e-mail him at darwinspal@hotmail.com.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker