Excerpt Tour/Giveaway - Turbulent Skies by Ronald A. Fabick

Turbulent Skies by Ronald A. Fabick  

GENRE: Action/Adventure Thriller  

 

BLURB: Flight 182 crashes in San Diego, everyone aboard is killed, including Reza Roshtti, who is on his way to present the final plans for a top secret project to his employer, California Robotics. Giti Roshtti appears on a newscast after the doomed flight, Jaffar Hamid Harraj is smitten with the bereaved widow who lives across the globe in the United States. 

 When Jack Coward, an ex-marine turned private investigator, is hired to find out everything he can about this beautiful woman, Jack sets in motion circumstances that bring Giti and Jaffar together. Unfortunately for Giti, Jaffar Harraj has a deep, dark secret. Jaffar is not only a senior member of the Islamic Hamas Movement, but a psychotic killer. 

Jaffar's aim is to use Giti's U.S. citizenship as a mechanism through which he can establish inroads into the United States, the Great Satan of the western world and land of the infidels. One of the missions of Islamic Hamas is to spread terror throughout the United States. 

The United States newest lettered agency, NATA or National Anti-Terrorist Agency has some new recruits, Jack Coward and his life-long friend Don Ziegler. They team up with other members of NATA, including ex-Air Force Lieutenant Michelle Hough, to try and discover the plans of Jaffar and the Islamic Hamas, and how Giti is involved in the two.  

Excerpt: Jack tried to crawl, but the pain forced him to stop immediately. Already blood oozed from the wound through the hastily applied bandage. It was becoming apparent that the loss of blood from Jack’s leg wound would very soon become critical. Donny knew he had to do something—fast. 

“Jack! We can’t stay here. There’s no cover. I can’t even begin to control the bleeding, and the corpsman is on the far side of the clearing. I’ve got to move you and it’s going to fucking hurt, okay? Just bear with me until I can get you somewhere safe and out of the way!” 

With that, Donny picked up Jack and put him over his shoulder with one arm while he picked up their rifles with the other. Jack cried out in pain despite his friend’s best efforts to avoid further injury. 

“Just a few yards more, Buddy,” Don coaxed. 

Soon Donny had himself and Jack safely behind the fallen log, where he tried to stem the flow of blood in relative safety. As he worked he began to chuckle. “I must be rubbing off on you Jack. You know, you used the word ‘fucking’ in no less than two sentences in a row.” 

“That’s because my fucking leg hurts.” Both men laughed. 

 In less than fifteen minutes, all resistance had been taken care of. The sporadic gunfire of the last few moments stopped as the last of the Viet Cong was either captured or killed. Jack was taken back to camp where a doctor repaired the wound in his leg, a wound for which he received the first of two Purple Hearts. For his actions of the day, Donny received a Silver Star. 

Later, the human cost was tallied. It was a miracle that only eight American servicemen had been killed, along with twenty-five injured. On the Viet Cong side of the ledger, fifty-two had been killed and ten injured. The remainder had fled into the bush, leaving their fallen comrades behind. That had been over thirteen years ago and both Donny and Jack had managed to put that part of their shared past behind them; had managed to lock the horror of war in the deep recesses of their minds, from which they rarely allowed it to emerge. 

Such was not the case for tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers suffering from the effects of past conflicts, among them Reza Roshtti. During their mostly-happy marriage, there were things he didn’t share with his wife that occasionally made him less than the ideal husband. There was affection he couldn’t give sometimes—and a glint in his eye once in a while that frightened her. But he tried. And she knew that. As best he could, he expressed love to his family and they loved him back. However, at night, when he was asleep and fighting the ghosts of his dreams, Giti knew he was not the man she had met as a star-struck teenager. Her heart ached for him.  

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links: Ronald Fabick was inspired to start writing when an author told him, "If you can read a book, you can write a book". Within two weeks he had the first chapter of Turbulent Skies written. Prior to becoming an author, Ron spent over thirty years as a Senior Structural draftsman. He uses this extensive engineering experience to add depth and reality to his stories. In his spare time, Ron enjoys crafting furniture in his workshop and tinkering on his vintage truck. Ron now resides on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. 

Connect with Ronald Fabick Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18841943.Ronald_Fabick 

Get your copy of Turbulent Skies AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/022880356X AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/022880356X 

 INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/turbulent-skies-a-jack-coward/9780228803560-item.html?ref=isbn-search 

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/turbulent-skies-ronald-fabick/1130425584 

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/920555 

Ronald A. Fabick will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

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Book Review/Giveaway - The Witch and The Dreamwalker by Victoria Rogers

The Witch and the Dreamwalker by Victoria Rogers  

GENRE: Spicy Paranormal Romance

BLURB: It’s 1982, and corporate witch Vivian McKinley is determined to climb the ladder of a growing paranormal security firm. With the help of Xavier Prince, President and CEO of Prince Charms, Vivian uncovers a plot to take over the business. The pair navigate office politics and machinations to prove a psychic vampire’s treachery.  

 

Excerpt:

“Here, you look like you need one of these.” Jenny thrust a shot glass into Vivian’s hand.

Vivian shook her head, “No. Thank you. This is work.” She passed the glass back to Jenny. 

Jenny made a face. “Vivian, dear, this is a party. Work ended the moment you stepped foot into this ballroom.”

“Not true. This is work. Everyone here is networking. Besides, I was just talking business with Xavier.”

Jenny’s brows shot upward. “First name basis, are we? Not Mr. Prince? At any rate,” she said, not giving Vivian the chance to answer the question, “look around. People are here to attend a party. The bar is already on its fourth bottle of whiskey.”

Vivian ignored her. “I’ve been promoted, Jenny. I’m now head of R and D!”

“What? Congratulations! That’s so exciting! Wait! That means you’re my boss? Holy shit, Vivian! I’ve never had a woman boss before. You get it, Viv. Make these men quake in their shoes. You’ve got to do a tequila shot with me, then.”

“Tequila? You want me to be sick? No, thank you. I’m fine. I should talk to John. Have you seen him?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s at the bar talking to Drew from sales.”

“Thank you,” Vivian replied.

“I will get you to do a shot before the night is out.”

“No. You won’t,” Vivian called over her shoulder.

John was exactly where Jenny said he was -- at the bar enjoying a glass of cognac with Drew from sales.

“Vivian!” John bellowed, waving her over. “Saw you talking to Mr. Prince. Has he taken my advice?”

Vivian grinned. “If your advice was to have me take up the mantle, then yes. Yes! By the gods, John. I don’t know what to say. I haven’t had time to process this yet.”

John beamed and took her hand and patted it lightly. “I’m proud of you, Vivian. You’re going to go far. You’d be wasted in that shop, peddling basic charms.”

“I wouldn’t call my grandmother’s charms basic. She taught me all I know. She’d have a few choice words to say to you if she heard that!”

“I stand corrected.” He chuckled, belly bouncing with each percussive breath. “Drew, have you met Vivian? She’s now the head of R and D.”

The salesman laughed at first, but when John didn’t laugh in response he quickly sobered. “What? Where are you going, John? Is Simeon finally retiring?”

John shook his head. “No. I’m retiring, Drew. It’s time I spent more time with the grandkids.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve got a few years yet.”

“No, no. It’s time to go home. I can’t compete with these kids anymore. Vivian’s ward is one hell of a piece of work. I would never have been able to dream that up.”

“The psychic vamp ward? The one I’ve got people lining up to order? That was you?” he asked while looking at her, mouth agape.

John snorted. “Of course, it was her, she gave the presentation, didn’t she?”

“I thought… I thought she gave the presentation to…”

Vivian arched a brow. “To what, exactly?”

“You know, to, to sell --”

“She’s goading you, Drew. And I’d stop with that thought right now. Vivian here knows her stuff, and she’s going to put Prince Charms on the global map.”

Vivian could hear the clack of Drew’s teeth as he snapped his mouth shut.

“I think a drink is in order, don’t you?” John turned toward the bartender. “Three bourbon, neat.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s --”

“Nonsense. This is a party, and if you’re going to hang with the old boys you have to play by their rules. Here, have a cigar.”

Vivian stared at the offered stogie.

“Might as well join us in smoking them. You’re going to be stuck in smoky rooms and end up smoking them anyway. It’s better firsthand.”

Vivian wasn’t sure she followed John’s logic on that one, but she reached out for the cigar anyway.

“That’s my girl. Now, here, you cut them like this.” He snipped the end of the cigar with a gold-plated cutter he pulled from his pocket. “And let me get that for you,” he said, flicking open his matching lighter.

She didn’t cough. She knew enough from her father that you didn’t actually inhale a cigar, unlike a cigarette.

John grinned as she exhaled like a professional. “Now.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Time for bourbon.” He passed both her and Drew a glass and then held his aloft. “To Vivian, who’s going to shake the paranormal world so hard it won’t know what happened.”

Vivian expected everyone to sip their drink, but no, down their gullets the amber liquid went. She tried not to gag at the flavor. A whiskey lover she was not.

“It’ll grow on you,” John said with a thump on her back as if reading her mind. “Bartender! Another round.”

 

My Thoughts: Kudos for Vivian standing her ground and not letting folks push her around! I gave it 4 stars because while the story was really fun to read and I enjoyed the 80's time period I would have liked to have had more magical elements involved especially on Xavier's Dreamwalker part. The electricity between Xavier and Vivian was so explosive and maybe I'm greedy but I just wanted to experience more of what he could do!  

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Victoria Rogers is an award-winning podcaster, game designer, and storyteller known for their immersive worlds and strong female characters. Witches, warlocks, gods, and ghosts fill their dreams and stories. Consent and healthy communication are two major aspects of their work – after all, you can’t get what you want unless you ask for it. Victoria can be found in the garden and in the kitchen making fruit wines, brewing beers, and infusing spirits. When not feeding friends, they attend tabletop gaming conventions and sit on storytelling and world-building panels, teach about online marketing, and produce live events. 

 Twitter: www.twitter.com/MimiMerlot 

Website: www.victoriarogersromance.com 

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/victoria-rogers 

GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/victoriarogers 

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Dreamwalker-McKinley-Women-ebook/dp/B09J33F9Q1/ 

Victoria Rogers will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Book Tour/Giveaway - The Most Eligible Bride In London by Ella Quinn

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be giving away a $20 Amazon/BN Card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Love conquers even the most unlikely lord in USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s delightful Lords of London series, as a reformed rogue endeavors to prove himself worthy of his chosen bride . . .

Mistakes happen, to be sure. Rarely are those mistakes as unfortunate as the one made by Nathanael, Viscount Fotherby, when he abducted the now Lady Merton to save his friend from marriage. Nate has been trying to make amends ever since, leaving behind his self-centered ways to fulfill his duties—and that includes finding a wife of his own. One woman sparks his interest above all others—a lady he helped when she was rescuing a child. Alas, there is a devilish complication . . .

Miss Henrietta Stern, Lady Merton’s younger sister, is intrigued by the stranger who comes to her aid—until she learns his identity. Nate’s stunt could have ruined her sister’s reputation, and her family may never forgive him. With beauty, connections, and a sizeable dowry, Henrietta has plenty of admirers. Yet no other suitor quickens her pulse quite like Nate does. Her heart insists that the gentleman has changed for the better. But can a renowned scoundrel possibly prove himself to be the perfect husband?

Read an Excerpt

“Miss, what should we do?” the messenger, a young boy named Toby they had hired for messages and odd jobs, asked Miss Henrietta Stern.

“Where is Mrs. Perriman?” She and her sister, Dotty, Marchioness of Merton, had assisted in the rescue of many children and infants during the time Henrietta had been in Town for her first Season. However, due to her sister’s pregnancy, they had asked Mrs. Perriman, the widow and daughter of army officers, who ran their charity, the Phoenix House, to perform the rescues. Normally Henrietta would not have hesitated, but she had never gone alone before.

“She’s out on another call, and I don’t know when she’ll be back.” The lad bounced from one foot to the other, clearly distraught. “The boy who brought the message said the baby’s mam died and the babe was poorly.”

There was only one thing to do. “I shall go.” Henrietta had read the short, barely literate note stating the sender had a baby they were willing to sell. “We’ll need to have a wet nurse brought here.”

“Miss Henrietta.” Parkin, her brother-in-law’s butler’s eyes rounded. “Neither her ladyship nor his lordship would approve.”

“It’s not as if I am going to St Giles or worse. It is still light and will be for the next hour. If we do not rescue this child now, it may die.” The butler’s stern countenance did not change. “I’ll take Cullen with me.” He was the largest of all Merton’s tall footmen. Henrietta suspected the man had been a soldier at one time, as many of the footmen were. “I shall be perfectly safe.” She would also take the Manton pistol that had been made for her.

“You will need a groom as well,” the butler said.

Henrietta stifled a sigh of relief. Parkin was not happy about this, but he would not stop her. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

By the time she had changed into a sturdy, dark-blue wool serge gown she’d had made by the modiste at home, donned a plain bonnet, tucked her pistol in the pocket she’d had sewn into her mantle, and taken the coins needed from the strongbox kept for the purpose, the unmarked town coach was waiting in the street. “The address is just down from the Whitechapel workhouse. We must hurry. I do wish to be there and gone before it is dark.”

“Yes, miss.” The footman, now dressed in regular clothing, closed the coach door behind her, and the coach dipped as he climbed on the back.

The journey would take about a half hour, and the sun was already lower in the sky than she would have liked. Still, the chance to save another child was worth the risk, and she had three servants with her. Granted, two would remain with the coach. Still, Cullen would be enough to keep her safe.

A large traveling coach almost blocked the street, but they slid past the vehicle and pulled up on the other side of the road. It was still light enough, but the sun was sinking by the minute. The narrow street and tall buildings did not help.

The coachman opened the hatch in the roof. “The street we want is just ahead on the left.”

The footman opened the door and helped her out. “I’ll stay a bit behind you just in case they’re up to no good.”

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side (political science professor and lawyer). Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of almost fourty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, a Great Dane named Lilibet, and a cat named Winnie. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true lived on sailboat for three years. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement. She expects to be back on the boat in 2022.

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Author Contact and Social Media:

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Buy Links:

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Book Review/Giveaway - Sweet Bitterness by Tricia McGill

 

Sweet Bitterness

by Tricia McGill

 

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GENRE:   contemporary romance

 

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BLURB:

First love can be wonderful—albeit at times tortuous. Rarely does it last, and at times is so painful it brings nothing but heartache. Often it is the girl who has a passion but in the case of twenty-year-old Tony, his feelings for seventeen-year-old Melody become what can probably be termed an obsession. An obsession that stays with him as years pass and their lives go in different directions.

Sadly, often a third party steps into the mix, diverting the course of the lives of young lovers. In Melody’s case, it is her father who shatters the hopes and dreams of this pair. Not only is Melody’s parent an overbearing and obstinate man but he happens to be an unprincipled police inspector who does not hesitate to use the power his position entitles him to exercise.
Shattered by the events that ensue, Tony takes off to the other side of the world and makes a successful life in Australia. Always the dream of returning to England and claiming his lost love stays with him. Many obstacles crop up, making his dreams seem impossible. Meanwhile Melody is left to face a loveless life forced on her by her father where escape to happiness drifts further away as the years pass.

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Excerpt:

The local dancehall contained the usual Saturday evening crowd. For a while, Tony watched a vision of perfection as she danced—not with everyone who asked her, he noticed. The two mates he came along with had disappeared, probably gone off with the girls they danced with earlier, but Tony suddenly had no desire to hold anyone in his arms but this raven-haired beauty with the figure of a goddess. Dare he ask her—his world tilted when she accepted his offer. Above average height himself, she reached his chin and felt like a delicate porcelain doll as he pulled her as close as he dared.

After dancing without speaking, apart from exchanging names, the bandleader announced that they were taking a break, so Tony asked tentatively, “Can I interest you in a drink?” To his great delight, she accepted with a nod. “That’s an unusual name, by the way,” he commented as they stood side by side with their drinks—no fancy tables and chairs in this place. “Is it your real name or did you choose it?”

“Of course, it’s my real name, silly.” She nudged his arm. “My mum chose it, after seeing a movie where the leading lady was called Melody; she said she decided to call her daughter that, if she had one.”

 

My Thoughts: Short but sweet and heartbreaking. Not much I can reveal without blabbing the whole story but it just kinda reiterated the old saying about one never really forgets a first love and I could relate so much to this story. My heart went out to Melody and Tony.

I despised Melody's father and brother so badly for being such bullies and using their positions and power to keep these two apart as it was so very clear they were meant to be together. It was destiny doggone it!

I was provided a copy of this book for my honest review.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Award winning author Tricia McGill spent her early days in England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer. Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart.

Tricia’s love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife for future generations. She also volunteers for a local community group that helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time, she is heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”

 

www.triciamcgill.com

http://triciamg.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill

https://www.amazon.com/Tricia-McGill/e/B002DBFNJC?

 

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Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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