Author David Baldacci, 52, has written 26 best-selling thriller novels with help from pals in the US Secret Service. His latest, The Hit, is out now
What’s The Hit about? It’s about a government assassin who has been tasked with tracking down a colleague who has started to kill members of her own agency. Then he starts to wonder why she’s killing these people – is she on the side of right?
I have always enjoyed Christina Courtenay’s books and this one was no exception. An adventure across continents, where different cultures meet, we follow Midori and Nico as they set sail from Japan to England.
Midori was a great character with mixed heritage, a Japanese father and an English mother, she could wield a sword as good as any man, if not better. She was fiercely independent and determined to deal honourably with the situation that forced her to escape from her beloved Japan and seek refuge with her English family in Plymouth.
Nico, captain of the ship that carried Midori to England, was simply delicious. A true leader, strong and well respected, fair and with a gentler side when needed. His meeting with Midori presented itself with all sorts of problems from the start and took him not only to physical places he had no intention of going, but to emotional places which he had long since buried.
Set in the 1600′s, with the English Civil War as a backdrop, there was lots of action and adventure in this book, together with a healthy dose of romance, I really enjoyed spending time with these characters.
How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?
It’s 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?
Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can’t keep his own eyes off her?
During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive…
Twitter : @PiaCCourtenay
Publishers : ChocLitUK
With a slight shift in sub-genre from romance to romantic suspense, Mandy Baggot’s books get stronger and stronger. This is probably my favourite one to date.
We meet Autumn Raine, singing superstar and she is not instantly likeable, coming across as spoilt and self-obsessed. However, gradually the walls come down and you get to know the real woman underneath who is both vulnerable and determined at the same time. Underneath the celebrity exterior, there is a genuine likeable person. She’s had a lot of emotional obstacles to overcome and has not always had the best advice. Now she’s up against the biggest challenge yet with her life in danger.
Cue mean and moody, northern bodyguard, Nathan Regan. He doesn’t change his attitude or his mind for anyone, that is until he comes up against Autumn Raine . As if outwitting kidnap plots and extremists isn’t enough for one guy, he also has demons of his own to battle at the same time.
With unexpected twists in the plot, Security, has suspense and tension all the way through, together with some great chemistry and tough romance, this really is my sort of book.
Description
Autumn Raine is a pop vocalist at the very top of her game. She’s a style icon, the paparazzi’s darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel.
Enter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He’s a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help?
As the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he’s letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary’s involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks?
Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?
As part of of the Security launch, Mandy is having a giveaway. Anyone who posts a review on Amazon up until the end of May can enter into the Rafflecopter draw to win a £25/$40 Amazon gift certificate. You will be able to enter via this link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e42d6b8/
Mandy Baggot brings you award-winning fiction! In 2012 she won the coveted Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance. Her novel Strings Attached was also short listed for Best Author Published Read!.
Mandy writes strong contemporary romance and characters you’ll fall in love with. Previously self-published, she was signed by US
publishing house Sapphire Star Publishing in January 2012. Shortly afterwards she became a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Mandy is a self-confessed Twitter addict who also likes to show off her singing talents on You Tube – check out Lady Gaga! She has auditioned for X Factor, appeared on ITV1s Who Dares Sings and longs to duet with Bryan Adams. She also has a fondness for white wine, mashed potato, country music and World’s Strongest Man.
Mandy lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and two cats called Kravitz and Springsteen.
You can find out more on Mandy’s website
http://mandybaggot.com
or check out her author page at Sapphire Star Publishing
http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/mandybaggot
Kathryn Brooker is the headmaster’s wife. While her husband spends his days disciplining unruly teenagers in the grand halls of Mountbriers Academy, Kathryn spends hers baking scones for her son’s cricket match in a beautiful cottage in the manicured school grounds.
In the evenings, when her husband strides home to compliment her cooking and kiss her hello – ignoring jokes from their children about grown-up lovebirds – Kathryn Brooker is the very picture of a fulfilled wife and mother. Anyone who peered through the downstairs sash window at the four figures sat easily around their scrubbed-pine kitchen table would see a happy family without a care in the world. They would envy Kathryn her perfect life.
But they would be wrong. Kathryn is trapped in a nightmare. And she is about to do something to change it. Something only a truly desperate woman would do…
My Review
Amanda Prowse was brought to my attention my Jera’s Jamboree book review site (see here for interview) and I was immediately intrigued by the sound of this book. I purchased it in digital format and was grabbed by the first page. I really wanted to find out what events had brought Kathryn Brooker to a police cell accused of murdering her husband.
What Have I Done really gets into the psyche of the characters and I couldn’t help but feel compassion for this woman who had suffered mental and physical abuse at the hands of her husband for many years. I found the book very moving and the writing full of emotion.
As Kathryn, I felt a tremendous amount of sorrow for her but as Kate I became almost like a proud parent, urging her on to better and better things.
A thought provoking, at times sad, read but one that is well worth it.
To find out more about Amanda Prowse, visit her website at www.amandaprowse.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/AmandaProwseAuthor
Twitter : @MrsAmandaProwse
This isn’t my usual sort of book review and whilst I would never advocate the wrecking of a book, this one is an exception.
‘Wreck This Journal’ is a brilliant concept that has really caught the imagination of teenagers and adults alike. It’s been about for a few years now, the idea being that on every page there is a different instruction which is open to individual artistic interpretation. For example, one page says, ‘Draw A Never Ending Line’. This may seem quite a boring thing to do, but once you let your imagination take hold, the possibilities are endless. To truly appreciate it, I would recommend you have a look at some of the examples on YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr Instagram, Pinterest, blogs and Google images for all the creative, whacky and crazy things people have done to ‘Wreck This Journal’.
This is my daughter’s page for ‘Trace Your Hand’
Here’s the official description from Amazon
Think of Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal as the anarchist’s Artist’s Way – the book for those who’ve always wanted to draw outside the lines but were afraid to do it.
For anyone who’s ever wished to, but had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes Wreck This Journal, an illustrated book featuring a subversive collection of suggestions, asking readers to muster up their best mistake – and mess-making abilities to fill the pages of the book (and destroy them).
Through a series of creatively and quirkily illustrated prompts, acclaimed artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in ‘destructive’ acts – poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting with coffee, colouring outside the lines, and more – in order to experience the true creative process. With Keri Smith’s unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art and journal making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.
So for anyone feeling remotely creative and who is in it for the long-haul, then this is a great project.
There are lots of other books in the series from Keri Smith, I quite like the look of ‘F_NISH TH_S B__K’ but maybe I should actually finish my own WIP first!
All books available through Amazon UK and US and local bookshops
To find out more about Keri Smith visit her website and blog
I am delighted to say my book United State of Love has been awarded the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion.
For those of you who are not aware of this award, basically it is given to books that have been through an anonymous reading panel and deemed to be of a high quality. If you want to find out more you can visit their website INDIE B.R.A.G. You can also see my book featured under their ‘romance’ section.
So after five months of waiting, I can now say I am officially a ’2012 B.R.A.G.MedallionTM Honoree’.
And here is my book with its medallion
Available in paperback and digital at
You can find indieBRAG on Facebook HERE
Reviews
Amazon, seven 5* reviews and two 4* reviews
About the Book
Gray Justice is the fast-paced debut thriller from Alan McDermott. When a killer walks free from court, the victim’s father sees just two options: accept the judge’s decision; or take on the entire British justice system. Tom Gray chooses the latter and his crusade attracts instant worldwide media coverage. It was just what Tom was hoping for, but it brought him a lot more than he bargained for.
Gray Justice is much more than a simple tale of revenge: it’s a roller coaster ride with an ending you’ll never forget!
My Review
At first you could be forgiven for second guessing how the plot might go; an ex-SAS soldier seeking revenge for the unlawful death of his son and subsequent suicide of his wife. Cue ex-SAS guy blasting away with a semi-automatic rifle, car chases, fist fights, killing all the bad guys but ultimately coming out a hero. Well, Gray Justice doesn’t quite go like that, it tackles the need for revenge in a rather unique way.
Gray Justice is a fast paced, action packed thriller. Yes, there was a shoot-em-up gun battle, explosions and death, but it wasn’t over-done and it was perfectly fitting of the plot. The premise of Gray’s revenge was very thought provoking and it did make me stop and think. Without giving anything away, the method Gray uses to decide what justice to dish out is something that could prompt a healthy debate over a pint or two.
The ending wasn’t exactly what I was expecting and leaves the door open to the sequels which I shall definitely be reading.
Gray Justice is currently available FREE on Amazon.
About the author
Alan McDermott is a software developer from the south of England, married with beautiful twin daughters. When he isn’t creating critical applications for the NHS, he is writing action thrillers.
His debut novel, Gray Justice, has been very well received. The other two books in the series – Gray Resurrection and Gray Redemption – were released in 2012.
Alan is currently working on his fourth title.
You can follow Alan on Twitter through his @Jambalian account.
Alan blogs at http://jambalian.blogspot.co.uk/p/t.html
Never thought I’d say that, but Nathaniel Gray from Sarah Tranter’s novel ‘No Such Thing As … Immortality’ has stolen my heart. He is Mr Darcy with fangs.
‘I will protect you until the day I die … forever!’
A vampire does not have to feel any emotion not of his choosing. And Nathaniel Gray has spent two hundred years choosing not to feel. But when he accidentally runs Rowan Locke off the road, he is inexplicably flooded with everything she’s feeling, and that’s rage, and lots of it.
He is consumed with the need to protect Rowan at all costs including from himself. To Nate, what is happening is unthinkable and is pretty much as unbelievable as the existence of faeries.
But you see, ‘There is no such thing as …immortality.’
My review
As you can probably tell from above, I absolutely adored Nathaniel Gray, the 250 year old vampire, from Derbyshire.
Quirky? Yes.
Humourous? Most definitely.
Intense? Oh yes.
Sexy? Hell, yes!
The supporting cast were great too, each with their own personality traits, Elizabeth was very sweet but had hidden depths and James’ dry sense of humour really made me laugh at times.
Nate and Rowan had a great relationship, very intense and the chemistry between the two sizzled right off the page.
Sarah Tranter has a very distinctive style of writing, one which I found refreshing and captivating. I’m not one for vampires, but I really bought into the whole idea. The plot was exciting and at times had me on the edge of my seat, I really didn’t know what was going to happen. This wasn’t just a love story, it had action and adventure in it too and a smattering of humour throughout.
A most excellent read and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.
LINKS
Sarah Tranter website
Twitter @sarah_tranter
Facebook : Sarah Tranter
Half term has been a busy week, I instigated Wellie Boot-Camp and dragged my reluctant children out practically every day using well turned phrases like ‘A bit of fresh air will do you good’ or ‘You’ll enjoy it once you’re there.’ I had the week planned out to military precision. Here’s what they had to endure, I mean, enjoy …
Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour, straddling the counties of West Sussex and Hampshire. The marina cafe is great for tea and cake or a light lunch. Alternatively, you can walk around the harbour to Dell Quay for a lovely pub meal.
Love the walk along Stane Street, an ancient roman road leading from Chichester to London. I always think the path looks like some sort of magical vortex. After about 3/4 of a mile, you turn off to climb the hill up to the windmill.
A well known Sussex landmark which can be seen for miles around. From the top of the hill, you can see the Isle of Wight and Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth.
Just 20 minutes north of me in the South Downs is Petworth Park. A 700 acre National Trust park designed by ‘Capability’ Brown and immortalised in Turner’s painting, it is home to Fallow Deer and ancient trees. Even when the car park is busy, once you’re out in the park you wouldn’t think another soul was about, it feels so empty. 
Wellies very much the order of the day
The view from the folly at the top of the hill was worth the climb
Fallow Deer
Moors Valley is usually just an hour’s drive from me, but I somehow managed to take a wrong turn and end up in Ringwood. My son thought he would be helpful and navigate via my iPhone but once we got back on the A31 we sailed straight by the slip road we needed. Fortunately a roundabout not much further ahead gave us the chance to turn round. Hooray, we finally reach Moors Valley, a place I have visited many times over the years, but obviously still have directional issues! It’s great for walking and cycling with adventure trails, ‘Go Ape’ and Tree Top Walks.
Tree Top Walk
The week gradually got colder, by Thursday the wind was bitter and we were all flagging a bit.
We settled for a walk at Arundel, which was made bearable by a pit stop in the local tea shop.
Arundel Castle
Swanbourne Lake
Arundel Cathederal overlooking the town and the River Arun, which is one of the fastest tidal rivers in the country, with lots of dangerous under-currents.
After a week at Wellie Boot Camp, I have given my Unit a ‘R&R’ day, much to their relief.
Mission complete, I can now retire my wellies and relax with a cup of tea and a book
(All photographs copyrighted to Sue Fortin)
About Orion’s Gift
While camping in the exotic landscape of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Kevin and Sylvia, both on the run from abusive relationships, meet and fall in love.
Two things stand in the way of their happiness. One—the secrets they keep from each other. Two—their abusers hunting them down.
Will fear drive them apart or will passion and trust surmount the violence and hostility they have endured?
My Review
Told in the first person from different points of view, I found Orion’s Gift refreshing and enjoyed getting into the head of each different character.
It was good to really get to know the cast and their back stories, having inside information as it were added to the atmosphere and kept the tension high throughout the book.
As I read Orion’s Gift I was struck by the setting. It was beautifully described with lots of small detail that added to creating a very vivid picture of the area.
Laced with danger, tension and emotion throughout I very much enjoyed reading this novel. At the heart of Orion’s Gift is the love story of two people leaving behind failing marriages and finding inner-strength and happiness in their new love.
Links for Orion’s Gift:
On Amazon.com http://amzn.to/UhJE00
On Smashwords.com http://bit.ly/MFOcOX
Blog: http://wordsfromanneli.wordpress.com
Website: http://www.anneli-purchase.com
