Books From The Backlog – Matt Archer: Monster Summer @KendraHighley

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books

My last Backlog post was in April of last year, but I am determined to mine through my TBR and clean it up…a bit.

Amazon / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

In this companion short-story to Matt Archer: Monster Hunter, fifteen-year-old Matt Archer finds himself in the Australian Outback on the trail of his latest targets…and hunting hyper-intelligent, mutated Dingoes is not his idea of a great summer vacation.

Making things more complicated, Matt’s Uncle Mike–aka Major Tannen–is his C.O. for this mission. To Matt’s consternation, the major’s new fiancée, Captain Julie Hunter, is also along for the trip.

When Captain Hunter disappears during a routine scouting trip, it’s up to Matt to help his uncle find her before it’s too late.

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Short Story, Young Adult
  • 41 pages, ebook
  • First published October 3, 2012 by Smashwords
  • Series: Matt Archer, #1.5

Goodreads Ratings: 4.10 – 247 ratings – 19 reviews

I added Matt Archer: Monster Summer by Kendra C Highley on 3.14.13 but got it as an Amazon freebie on 1.20.13. Why did I add it you ask? Just look at the fabulous cover, then add in the blurb and I am caught…hook, line and sinker.

How about you? Does that cover make you want to visit the Australian Outback?

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Review – The Valley Of Horses by Jean M Auel #jeanmauel #librarylovechallenge

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It has been many, many years since I read the first book of the Earth’s Children series, Clan Of The Cave Bear my Jean M Auel. The story stuck with me so much that here I am, decades later getting lost in Ayla’s story and prehistoic adventures. All her previous world came back easily, and that is so unusual for me, that I am sure I will read it to the very end.

We flip back and forth, between Ayla and Jondalar. It’s obvious to me they will end up together, but Ayla’s struggles after being kicked out of the Clan are fascinating. She learns to survive by doing, picking up skills on her own. She was seeking one of her own, but she makes friends with a horse and an even more unlikely companion, so her search is delayed and she spends years alone.

A scream changes her world forever when she saves Jondalar from Baby.

That’s all I’m saying, because Ayla’s story is sooooo worth experiencing for yourself, that I want you to discover it by becoming as immersed in the journey as I did.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

This odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla, now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman.Cruelly cast out by the new leader of the ancient Clan that adopted her as a child, Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark, open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself.  Living with the Clan has taught Ayla many skills but not real hunting. She finally knows she can survive when she traps a horse, which gives her meat and a warm pelt for the winter, but fate has bestowed a greater gift, an orphaned foal with whom she develops a unique kinship.One winter extends to more; she discovers a way to make fire more quickly and a wounded cave lion cub joins her unusual family, but her beloved animals don’t fulfill her restless need for human companionship. Then she hears the sound of a man screaming in pain. She saves tall, handsome Jondalar, who brings her a language to speak and an awakening of love and desire, but Ayla is torn between her fear of leaving her valley and her hope of living with her own kind.This eBook includes the full text of the novel plus the following additional • An Earth’s Children® series sampler including free chapters from the other books in Jean M. Auel’s bestselling series• A Q&A with the author about the Earth’s Children® series

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Prehistoric, Romance
  • 577 pages, Kindle Edition
  • First published January 1, 1982
  • Series: Earth’s Children, #2
  • Characters: Ayla, Jondalar

ABOUT JEAN M AUEL

Jean M. Auel, née Jean Marie Untinen is an American author best known for her Earth’s Children books, a series of historical fiction novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals. As of 2010 her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, in many translations.

Auel attended University of Portland, and earned an MBA in 1976. She received honorary degrees from her alma mater, as well as the University of Maine and the Mount Vernon College for Women. She and her husband, Ray Bernard Auel, have five children and live in Portland, Oregon.

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Post Apocalyptic Adventure – Farewll To Dust And Sun by John M Broadhead @JohnMBroadhead

Amazon / KindleUmlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Our people don’t know what else to do, so we dig.

Right out of the gate we meet the haves and the have nots. Could you imagine living underground? You get up in the morning and dig until you go to bed at night, barely enough food and water to keep you alive. I worked for General Motors and used to think, if I die, they are going to step right over me, or on me, and continue working. Morbid, huh? I feel that is Coal’s future, if he doesn’t follow his instincts.

He wants to save the people of Dirthome, and what an appropriate name it is. Nothing to see for miles but desert. John M Broadhead’s descriptions are spot on, considering he knows them so well, being raised in rural New Mexico.

The Outliers want what they have, mounting attack after attack, bodies falling on both sides. But, the biggest threat that so many refuse to even think about is the darkness coming. The sun will go down and not return. So many continue their day to day lives, refusing to make a decision to leave the only home they have ever known. There will be no food. No water. They cannot survive. A religious leader uses their fear to keep them under control.

Coal heads out with Slate, searching for a new home. He never anticipates what will happen when he sees birds for the first time, meets the sea, and the Stacca, a violent and dangerous people.

We travel from the present to the past and back to the present. Part One set the hook, Part Two gave me Coal’s adventurous history, bringing us to Part Three, where decisions will be forced, whether the people want to follow him or not. He never wanted to be a leader, just wanted to save his people, especially the governor’s wife, who he loves.

Farewll To Dust And Sun by John M Broadhead was a different kind of apocalyptic/ dystopian read and I am always on the lookout for someone to take one of my favorite genres and tweak it. Once I started, I couldn’t stop and will be eagerly awaiting the next Slow World Tale. How about it John? I hope you are writing fast. 🙂

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

His scorched desert world is doomed. To save his people, first he’ll need to fight them.

Loyalty and love will be tested and treacherous alliances made, but is it too late to ensure their survival?

Coal is a tenacious and headstrong young laborer who lives in the harsh wasteland of Dirthome, a brutal and unforgiving place where relentless violence and apathy are commonplace. As the sun prepares to set for the first time in generations, he hatches a daring plan – to persuade his people to abandon their desert abode before darkness and cold consume the world.

But driven by a complex love for the governor’s wife and accompanied by a mysterious warrior woman, Coal must navigate dangerous partnerships and confront his own fatal weaknesses. In this sweeping and gritty western-themed fantasy, traditions are shattered, flawed characters clash and civilizations collide in pursuit of uncertain salvation.

“Farewell To Dust And Sun” is the thrilling first installment in the “Slow World Tales” series of post-apocalyptic adventure fantasy books. If you like coming-of-age, survival fantasy books set in a barren and grim future, this book is for you!

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction
  • 557 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published November 7, 2023 by John M Broadhead

ABOUT JOHN M BROADHEAD

“I just want to make things that people can nerd out on. There’s nothing in life more joyful than nerding out over something.”

I am excited to share my newly completed novel “Farewell To Dust And Sun.” Fitting nicely into the apocalyptic genre, this is a fast-paced adventure story set in an unforgiving desert, a quest to save the world that eschews fantasy tropes and focuses on the characters, their hopes, failures and crises. 

Heading toward publication on November 7th, this will be my second self-published novel, but the first in which I believe I truly found my voice. I believe it to be a “millennial” story through and through, expressing the angst in the hearts of a generation stuck between a bleak past and a bleak future. 

Among other projects I am in fact working on the sequel in what I hope to eventually craft into a trilogy of “Slow World Tales.” My writing credentials include my previous novel “Talking Man,” along with a novella, a children’s book, and a novelty picture book. I have been recognized with numerous awards for my poetry and screenwriting, and my academic background in English Literature provides me with a deep understanding of the craft. Additionally I am a filmmaker, runner, thru-hiker, and Tolkien nerd. 

Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Poetry

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Giveaway – The World Council by Norm Meech @GoddessFish

The World Council by Norm Meech

GENRE: Science Fiction action/adventure

BLURB:

Ricky Montgomery had just graduated high school in June 1976 and was enjoying life as an 18-year-old teenager. He was hired by the Dawson City Police Force, and after graduating from police college he was assigned to work as an undercover operative in a motorcycle gang.

Ricky, although happy, was struggling living his double life as a cop and biker. Then it happened: during a biker war, Ricky’s life was saved by agents from the World Council (TWC). TWC was created by the world’s leaders to prevent manmade disasters from happening and to liaise with aliens who have been monitoring mankind for hundreds of years. TWC’s mandate, with the assistance of aliens, is to ensure mankind’s continued existence.

TWC is a highly secretive organization, whose agents have the ability to travel through time, to change history, and to take lives to save lives. Ricky becomes a TWC agent and discovers that TWC’s command staff is making unethical decisions, hiding secrets about aliens and trying to reduce the world’s population through biological warfare. Ricky teams up with other agents and tries to save mankind and the world from disaster.

EXCERPT

Just as I turned and looked outside, the van’s side door slid open and two masked men with guns opened fire. I yelled to everyone, to get down as I hit the floor. There were shards of broken glass and bullets flying everywhere.

Although the barrage of gunfire only lasted a few minutes, it seemed a lot longer, like time had slowed down. One of the Devils who was packing a gun was able to return fire and the van disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. I looked around and most of the people were starting to get up off the floor. All except for a couple.

Then I realized that Vicky was still on the ground and there was blood pooling beside her. My God, she had been shot!  I yelled for someone to call an ambulance and to get me some towels. I got the towels and applied pressure to her midsection. I looked around for help but there wasn’t any. The other waitresses were helping one of the Devil’s members and another waitress who had also been shot. Hammer and the other guys took off knowing that the cops would be showing up soon.

Sure enough, in a matter of minutes ambulances and a ton of cops arrived at the bar. The ambulance attendants started working on Vicky and the cops pushed me off to the side, telling me to stay back, let them do their job. Obviously none of the cops or ambulance people knew we were undercover. I was judged to be a low life biker and my “old lady”, a waitress, was also judged to be the lower part of society. They allowed me to ride in the ambulance with Vicky, only after I gave some uniform cop our names and addresses. They worked on Vicky all the way to the hospital and they told me that she was in critical condition when they wheeled her into surgery.

It suddenly hit me like a truck. It did not matter who I was, a biker or a cop. We are all humans and Vicky did not deserve this. She was only 23 years old and she was a beautiful person. I knew she understood the risks of being a cop, especially an undercover cop, but she was harmless.  She had stepped up to the plate, she had warned me, she had my back. Besides saving me, she probably had saved a lot of other people in that bar. I was so emotional and confused; I was holding back tears and I was so full of anger I did not know what to do. Who could I call?  It could not get out that she was a cop! I called Christine to tell her what had happened.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Norm Meech has been retired for nearly two years, capping a distinguished forty-four-year career in policing. He fondly recalls the camaraderie of work friends forged during his tenure and the unique experiences as a police officer.

While missing aspects of his former profession, Norm keeps himself engaged by maintaining fitness and pursuing various hobbies. Additionally, he channels his creativity into writing, aiming to produce a book annually. His latest work delves into science fiction, inviting readers to ponder questions about the existence of aliens, unidentified flying objects, government involvement in secret conspiracies, the potential for time travel, and the impact of human activities on the planet. Norm hopes readers enjoy the fictional stories he crafts, sparking contemplation and curiosity.

  • Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/people/Norm-Meech/100078187723504/
  • WordPress.com  https://normmeech.wordpress.com/about-author/
  • Instagram
  • Amazon buy Link:https://amzn.to/3toOVQO
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Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

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Giveaway – Second Term by J M Adams @partnersincr1me @JM_AdamsAuthor

Second Term by JM Adams Banner

Second Term

by JM Adams

October 23 – November 17, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

A lame duck president’s desperate power grab threatens democracy in the United States—can former intelligence operative and single mother Cora Walker prevent catastrophe?

September 2012. Cora Walker, a DIA defense operative, learns of a terrorist plot in Benghazi and rushes to a secret installation to stop it. When her superiors ignore her dire warnings, she’s forced to mount an unsanctioned attempt to thwart the attack. Her team barely repels the large force of invaders determined to kill Americans.

Sixteen years after her heroic actions in Benghazi, Cora is the press secretary for the Speaker of the House. As a single mom, she’s struggling to balance her demanding job and her home life. Soon, things get more complicated at work as the lame duck president suspends habeas corpus and begins arresting members of Congress in a desperate attempt to retain power.

Cora springs into action to save the Speaker and prevent catastrophe. She’ll have to work strategically to keep everyone safe—alliances turn sour, and her trust in others begins to falter. It’s an uphill battle for Cora until an explosive finale exposes what can really happen to democracy when political extremism reaches new heights.

Praise for Second Term:

Second Term is second to none when it comes to high stakes action and nonstop thrills. J. M. Adams has fashioned a ticking time bomb of a political thriller that evokes the best of classics from Seven Days in May to Six Days of the Condor.”
~ Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author

“A battle of wits that heats up the pages, this one will hold you tight until all is revealed.”
~ Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“In his debut novel, Second Term, J. M. Adams keeps the pages of his political thriller turning at a blistering pace, led by a character you’re going to root for aloud. If only she were real!”
~ Jerome Preisler, New York Times best-selling author

“I sat down with Second Term and didn’t stop reading until I finished it. Breakneck pace and an all-too-plausible scenario, with a vivid and memorable protagonist. I hope we see more of Cora Walker.”
~ Joseph Finder, New York Times best-selling author

“Adams effectively harnesses the headlines to create suspense.”
~ Publishers Weekly

Book Details:

Genre: Action, Suspense, Thriller
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: October 2023
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781608095919 (ISBN10: 1608095916)
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

September 10, 2012
Mediterranean Sea, North Africa

A heavy breeze rolls off the Mediterranean Sea pushing away the stench of the city slowly dying around me. The deep salty air offers a snippet of comfort although I have no idea why. There are no childhood memories of the sea. I grew up in western Colorado and southwestern Virginia. Maybe it’s the brief respite from the taint of chemicals and human waste that’s embedded itself into the pores of this city. I feel like I’m constantly gagging on smoke from the unseen forest fires that raged in Colorado when I was a kid.

The buildings around me are pockmarked with bullet holes. Sandbags stand watch in front of every entrance with piles of rubble towering from thirty to fifty feet high. This place is a giant landfill waiting to fall into the sea. I walk another block and come across a building that looks like something took a mammoth crescent-shaped bite out of it. Rebar splinters off in several directions like webs constructed by a giant spider.

There’s no way to underscore the toll of human suffering here. My line of sight follows another tower of rubble going up to the second floor where a little kitchen comes into view. On the left side of the room there’s vibrant yellow wallpaper, a Roman numeral wall clock, and a table topped with a bright floral Persian table runner. On the right, the walls are stained with blood and black scorch marks. There are more weapons than food in this cursed city and the reminders are everywhere.

Western leaders continue to fool themselves into believing that the death of Muammar Gaddafi would have brought some semblance of sanity or stability to this region. The Brother Leader’s forty-year reign of terror against his people might have ended, but death and chaos rule this city with an iron hand.

Libya is a slave to its violent history, and no one is looking for a way out. But what do I know? I’m just a covert foot soldier for the American Department of Defense. I can’t begin to understand why Washington believes that with Gaddafi gone, it’s nothing but butterscotch and ponies here in North Africa.

I have a wake-up call to deliver to my superiors that may realign some of that thinking, but only if I can make it to the CIA installation in one piece. I’ve been collecting intel for the past two months posing as an English teacher for a wealthy family living in a chateau in Derna.

Derna was the perfect place for undercover work. The charming Libyan port city is about 200 miles east of Benghazi and doesn’t begin to fit in with the rest of Libya. It’s one of the wealthiest areas in the country, a quaint little town nestled into beautiful green mountains rich with exotic sea cliffs and waterfalls. Two days ago, I obtained information that forced me to blow my cover and run. There was no way to securely transmit the sensitive information I’ve gathered without landing in a cell never to be seen again.

My pickup time is slated for the conclusion of the Muezzins’ call to Fajr prayer. The Fajr is the first of five daily Muslim prayers broadcasted from speakers atop the mosques that are still standing around the city. They stick to strict schedule and this morning’s devotional is set for 4:58am (the true dawn) although the sun won’t rise until after 6:30 this morning.

I emerge from the shadows of the long-abandoned Benghazi Cathedral. It’s ironic that one of the most prominent structures in this old Muslim city is a decaying Roman Catholic Church. I have little time to get to the parking lot at the 7th of October Hospital without drawing attention to myself. Good luck with that, I laugh out loud. Hopefully my baggy clothes, hat, and short haircut can fool anyone who doesn’t get too close.

I pull the wide brim of my camouflage bucket hat lower to cover more of my face. My oversized camo jacket is untucked over a dark t-shirt hanging over black jeans. The street is still deserted as I execute what I like to call my husky “man-walk.” I emit an audible sigh of relief rounding the corner by the burned-out Hamzawi Café. I’m less than a hundred yards away from the hospital and have a straight shot to my destination where I can hole up until my ride arrives. At the same time, two militiamen turn the corner and are coming my way. So much for a smooth escape. Why aren’t they preparing for morning prayers?

I ease my Cressi finisher knife into my right hand spinning the blade backwards against my forearm to keep it out of sight. The sharp pinprick of the blade against my skin provides some small comfort. The knife is specifically designed for underwater hunting, but it’s always done the job for me. Five inches long with a deadly stiletto tip. I have zero interest in any confrontation, but that pipe dream is starting to evaporate.

“Asalaamu alaikum,” I say in my practiced husky “man-voice” trying to sound masculine friendly, but in a hurry.

Thankfully, both of their AK-47s remain slung to their backs.

The guy on the left is slightly built, with a camo hat that looks a little like mine. He’s not paying any attention, but the bigger man closer to me answers with a slight edge to his reply, “Wa alaikum salam.”

His eyes are alert and suspicious underneath bushy caterpillar eyebrows and a tangled mane of black facial hair.

I try to politely pass them on the right when the hairy man lashes out seizing my shoulder and reaching for a compact revolver from his belt. I wonder what prompted him to grab me at the same time I plunge the length of my blade deep into his armpit underneath an outstretched arm. His eyes pop wide open in horror. He grunts in confusion as I turn my blade twice before yanking it out of his body and jabbing two explosive thrusts deep into his throat.

Blood erupts from the neck wound covering my hands as I step forward to his companion who is in the clumsy process of unslinging his rifle. I dispatch him quickly with a sweeping arc of my blade and survey the area for witnesses. I’m lucky that this unfortunate incident took place in the cover of darkness. We are the only people on the street, and our encounter made very little noise.

The entire altercation took less than ten seconds. My arms are covered in bright red arterial blood with one of the men gurgling bubbles from his open neck wound at my feet. I lean down and try to leave as much of the mess as I can on his jacket. I switch jackets with my second victim as the loudspeakers crackle to life around the city signaling the start of the morning prayers. Any sane person would want to sprint from the scene, but my training forces me to walk casually away from the dead men lying in the street. I walk into the hospital parking lot. There’s a black Mercedes. The plate matches the numbers I’m expecting as I throw open the passenger door and slam it behind me.

“That’s a good way to get shot,” says the smiling driver in place of a greeting, his hand resting on the Glock 19 in his lap. He studies me with open curiosity.

“If you don’t want company, you should probably keep your doors locked in a neighborhood like this,” I answer.

“Jesus,” he asks, voice rising in concern as he stares at the blood-soaked jacket on my lap. “You hit?”

“It’s not mine. I had a run-in with a couple of locals around the block,” I say quietly.

“A run-in? You’re covered in blood,” he says. I nod.

“Those two militia dudes? Big shaggy guy?” I nod my head again.

“We need to get out of here,” he says.

“Better wait until prayers are over,” I answer. “We shouldn’t be on the streets during prayers.”

“Muhammad will have to see his way past our sins,” he says, slamming the car into gear and pulling out onto the empty street. “I’m Deckard by the way. Welcome to Benghazi.”

I nod, scanning the streets for anything out of place.

“There’s wipes in the glove box. You should clean up the best you can. We should be back at the ranch in fifteen to thirty depending on roadblocks. You sure you’re OK?”

I reach for the wipes as a violent cough escapes my lips. The worst thing about Benghazi isn’t the people waving guns; it’s the never-ending cloud of macabre dust that dominates the air here. North Africa is hot, the air is thick, and it’s only rained once since I got here two months ago.

A bottle of water appears in front of my face, and I suck it down in two gulps.

“The station chief told me to look for a seasoned operative. You don’t look old enough to drink. Are you Langley? Everyone else here is.”

Langley is shorthand for CIA. I wonder if he’s going to prattle on all the way to the station.

“Something like that,” I say.

“So what should I call you?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye. “Jane the Ripper?”

“Jack is fine,” I chirp back. “Got another water?”

“You don’t look line any Jack I’ve ever met. Anyway, the station chief has a hard-on for you already,” he says handing me another water. “Says you’re compromising the Agency’s mission in Benghazi and you shouldn’t be coming in at all.”

I lean my head back and close my eyes. The last thing I need now is some sad little station chief crying to me about his little slice of turf in the desert. I need to talk to Washington and get the American ambassador out of Libya or at least stop him from coming to Benghazi.

CHAPTER 2

I have to admit, the driver is quite competent, and that’s high praise coming from me. He’s avoiding the main roads and driving around in haphazard circles. The last thing he needs in life is to be caught up in one of the impromptu militiaman roadblocks with an armed woman scrubbing blood off of her skin. There is no rule of law here. It’s survival of the fittest and open season on Westerners.

People are shot dead in the street every day. Benghazi is inundated by a tsunami of guns, rocket launchers, and grenades, courtesy of the raided Gadaffi stockpiles around the city. Once Gadaffi was dead, the grand prize was a leaderless country where everyone suddenly had access to military-grade weapons.

“You got a change of clothes?” I ask.

“In the duffle behind the seat.”

I climb into the back and start rummaging through his bag. “Please,” Deckard says dryly. “Help yourself.”

I pull off my jacket and shirt, happy to see my sports bra didn’t catch any blood. I only have one more in my possession. I pull on his shirt, about two sizes too big, and tie it up at the bottom. I ball up my blood-covered jacket and hand it up to him. “Get rid of this, please.”

“Pockets empty?” he asks.

“No, just a blueprint for the U.S. Consulate, signed confession, and the bloody knife.”

He chuckles at my amazing wit and tosses it out the window.

***

Excerpt from Second Term by JM Adams. Copyright 2023 by JM Adams. Reproduced with permission from JM Adams. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

JM Adams

J.M. ADAMS has more than 15 years of on-air television journalism experience, reporting for CBS and NBC news affiliates across the United States.

Highlights from his career include sea patrols with the Navy after the 9/11 attacks and reporting on location from Kuwait, Iraq, and a number of hurricane disaster zones across the country. Adams was briefly detained in East Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Second Term is his debut novel.

Adams lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a pair of Cavashons who appear to have taken over the house.

Catch Up With JM Adams:
JMAdams.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @JM_Adams
Instagram – @jmadamsauthor
Twitter/X – @JM_AdamsAuthor
Facebook – J.M. Adams
TikTok – @jm_adamsauthor

 

 

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Giveaway – Emissary by E B Brooks @GoddessFish @EBBrooksFiction

https://amzn.to/3LncnDF

Emissary by E.B. Brooks

GENRE: Science FIction

BLURB

Two Worlds. One Future.

Ewan O’Meara is no stranger to death: in recent months, he’s found his way to limbo at least once per week, much to his parents’ concern. It’s a necessary price for getting experience to become the greatest adventurer his homeland of Veridor has ever known, but the overbearing Veridian Church has him pinned down, soaking him for the penance gold to unlock his stats each time he respawns. And because the Church’s ancient war put an end to both the godlike Gems and the epic quests they once bestowed, Ewan has no better alternative.

That is, until he encounters a young woman fleeing arrest from the Church’s soldiers. At first glance, Treanna Rothchild needs it: she’s clueless about Veridian life. But she has other skills that defy Ewan’s understanding, and she knows things. Unsettling, seditious things the Church wants kept secret at any cost.

And she’s in Veridor to raise an army, to fight an enemy only she can see.

Risking both life and soul, Ewan follows Treanna where no Veridian has ever been and there is no respawning. But for him to have a chance at making a real difference in the strange, harsh world she reveals to him, he must first come to terms with it. Especially as he and Treanna discover how much it has in common with Veridor—and how much they depend on each other to survive.

New-adult science fiction, wrapped in gaming and fantasy around a hopepunk core, Emissary is an immersive, thought-provoking adventure with a little teen romance and a lot of heart.

EXCERPT

Ewan didn’t know why he did it. He had plenty of reasons. He was angry about getting censured, annoyed with Paul’s warning to keep his head down, and embarrassed by how quickly he’d ignored it. No one took him seriously as an adventurer, much less understood when he asked the big questions.

But, more than anything, looking into those eyes, he simply knew this girl was in trouble, and that he wanted to help her.

She flew past as time resumed its normal flow; Ewan shouted and leaped in front of the Swords to draw their aggro. He called up his menu, winced when he remembered he’d given Kate his armor, then equipped his blades anyway.

An ominous tone sounded in his mind, and a warning flashed across his vision that he now had a bounty, along with a reminder that only Swords were permitted to equip weapons in the cathedral. As if to prove the point, the soldiers slowed as they saw the blades flash into being on his back, but with grim smiles they equipped their own and changed targets.

Ewan spared a quick glance behind him to see the girl vanish down the steps, then turned to face his opponents.

The crowd was whispering excitedly now, but he focused on the Swords, quickly calling on his own basic aura-reading skills to scan them. They were stronger than him, and bigger too, but neither had bothered to bolster their defense beyond their armor, clearly seeing him as an easy mark.

Time to see what agility’s all about, he thought with a nervous chuckle.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

E.B. Brooks lives in the southeastern USA, where he splits his time between writing, research, and homesteading. He enjoys building fictional worlds, real houses, and landscape models, but he’s most at home with his wife and children, and their many, many pets.

  • Website: http://ebbrooksfiction.com/
  • Twitter: @EBBrooksFiction
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG2vFKJoCSoJaP6qCECwPIA
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19919752.E_B_Brooks
  • The StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/authors/d82b9abb-6a6a-48a7-8563-a84689316df7
  • Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-b-brooks-df6155fb-c7c4-4568-b612-ac5ae2eeb86b
  • Buy Links (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/stores/E.B.-Brooks/author/B087D6C88X
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Review – Nutcracker: Journey To Candyland by Tony Bertauski @tonybertauski

I feel compelled to share that by purchasing the book, you have donated 10% of the profits to Ben’s friends. Ben, not Tony’s son but another lost soul with the same name, had many friends and they started a community program after his death. I found this so amazing, I had to share. It is obvious he impacted many lives and will be sorely missed.

https://www.bensfriendshope.com

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Every time I crack open a Claus novel by Tony Bertauski, I know I am going on a magical adventure. Nutcracker is the eleventh novel in this stand alone series and is just as entertaining as the past novels I have read.

After the death of their parents, Marie and her brother, Fritz, are taken in by her Aunt and Uncle. Vern has many personalities, but Rinks has only one, and it’s not a pleasant one. She wants….everything and doesn’t care much what she has to do to get it.

This wonderfully fun fantasy of magic and childish delight is fraught with sadness and it comes through in Tony Bertauski’s writing. I love that he made me try to put myself into Rinks shoes and see why she was so unhappy and vindictive, trying to see her life from her perspective, try to walk a mile in her shoes, to empathize with Marie and Fritz with their loss. Marie tamps down her sadness over the loss of their parents and Fritz no longer speaks.

Marie and Fritz find the gift, after a visit to their Godfather, and their adventure into Candyland begins. Is it a dream? Another one of their Godfather’s inventions? I love the creativity involved in the creatures and action that takes place. It is so hard for me to describe what happens inside Candyland without spoiling it, so I will leave it to you to find out for yourself

I always wonder how an author comes up with such a fantastical story and I can only attribute it to their vivid imagination. Their ability to open their mind and let the magic begin is a gift to us readers. The best thing is that I end the book with a smile on my face.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The 11th standalone novel in the Claus Universe.

Once upon a time, there was a toy store filled with magical playthings and fantastical stories. But not anymore. That was a long time ago.

When Marie arrived, the place was cobwebs and empty shelves. Little dry pellets covered the floor. Aunt Rinks called them dirt balls. They weren’t dirt balls.

The place didn’t feel like Christmas. Nothing did anymore. What Marie wanted, she couldn’t possibly have. A leaky air mattress and a self-absorbed aunt was all she got. But Christmas wasn’t about what you wanted; it was about what you needed. Godfather told her that. That was when he told her the tale of the nutcracker.

“You must find the princess,” he told Marie. “She’s been waiting for you.”

It was a story, nothing more. Marie didn’t believe in fairy tales or Christmas spirit anymore. Certainly didn’t believe in a wooden soldier and a cursed princess who needed saving. Until she discovered the gift.

Marie and her brother, Fritz, find a small box hidden in the old toy store. When they open it, the real journey begins. Marie discovers the nutcracker is more than just a silly toy. The princess isn’t a metaphor. The nutcracker shows Marie a truth hidden inside her.

They’ll have to hurry to save the princess. When Aunt Rinks finds the gift, she aims to take everything they’ve discovered for herself, to leave Marie and Fritz with nothing and the princess still cursed. The journey, however, isn’t a game. It will reveal Marie’s true nature.

What happens next is not what anyone wanted for Christmas.

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Teen and Young Adult
  • 452 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication November 1, 2023
  • Series: Claus Universe #11

ABOUT TONY BERTAUSKI

Tony Bertauski

Get my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’ve written textbooks on landscape design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more finesse, but still informational for the most part.

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted to create stories that kept you up late.

Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write. Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

MY TONY BERTAUSKI REVIEWS

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Giveaway – The Adventures Of Captain Jimmy Jams by Summerton Thompson Connor @GoddessFish



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Summerton Thompson Connor will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



 

A bedtime storybook for parents to read to their children, depicting the excitement for possible adventures in dreams and the sensation of letting thoughts wander as you drift off to sleep. Meant to invoke soft imagery and imaginative thoughts of adventure and fun, it’s a relaxing read for pleasant sleep.



About the Author: I am a father to a baby girl and hope to read to her just like I was read to when I was little. I grew up with a love of stories and creative settings and views. This gave me a love of adventure and appreciation for great imagery that I hope can be experienced by many parents and their children someday. It gave me a lot of happy memories and I hope to give the same happy memories to at least one child.

Buy Links:

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-adventures-of-captain-jimmy-jams-summerton-thompson-connor/1143262205
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0228880785/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Captain-Jimmy-Jams/dp/0228880793

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Trafficking Endangered Animals – The Tiger Temple by Steven Moore @StevenScribe

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Tiger Temple by Steven Moore was so much more than I anticipated. Sure, I saw the blurb that mentioned Clive Cussler and I have read many books by Clive, so I thought The Tiger Temple would be a good fit. At times, I felt like I was on an adventure with Indiana Jones.

It all begins when a young girl is kidnapped by a vicious crime lord, Jago. As the story unfolds, it becomes even more disturbing. The trafficking of the endangered Sumatran tiger is deplorable. It’s hard to come up with words to describe the senseless killing.

Hiram is friends with the family and by their side every step of the way, as the try to locate Ayu and rescue her. Ayu is a courageous, young girl who fights to survive, . She is dropped in a pit, left to drown when the rain begins to fill it. Besides the rain storm, we have a volcano about to erupt. I love when an author gives an innocent, sweet child a starring role. It sure does tug at the heartstrings, as if the senseless killing of the Sumatran tigers isn’t enough.

Steven Moore gets his ideas from his travels and experiences around the world. It shows in the details his writing provides, with vivid characters and surroundings that make me feel like I am a part of the adventure. An adventure that shares the good and bad of humanity. One family member makes the ultimate sacrifice, and I think Steven Moore handled the situation in the best way possible.

It took me reading The Tiger Temple and Hiram Kane to get me engrossed in the series. Sure, the blurb caught my attention, along with the vibrant red of the cover, but it was the story itself that drew me deeper and deeper into Hiram Kane’s adventure.

The disgust I felt over the graphic details of the trafficking of the Sumatran tiger and it’s ‘parts’ was very disturbing. We know these things go on today and maybe Steven Moore’s story can help in some way.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A betrayed criminal. A kidnapped child. A deadly race against time.

On the Island of the Gods, expedition leader Hiram Kane is on holiday after a long season guiding in the Peruvian Andes.

When a good friend’s greed leads him to betray Bali’s most notorious gangster, their peaceful community is left shell-shocked after the six-year-old daughter of its leader gets kidnapped in a vicious and violent raid.

What follows is a whirlwind race across the paradise island to rescue the girl before ‘The Rooster’ takes his sadistic revenge, and with the waking giant of volcanic Mt. Agung threatening to destroy them all, Kane risks everything to prevent a devastating tragedy.

The Tiger Temple is the exciting new prequal to the Hiram Kane adventure series. For fans of Russell Blake and Clive Cussler, Steven Moore’s action thriller will leave you breathless.

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 372 pages, Kindle Edition
  • First published December 20, 2017 by Condor Publishing
  • Series: Hiram Kane Adventure

ABOUT STEVE MOORE

Englishman Steven Moore grew up by the seaside, thus his first true joy was the great outdoors. His innate love of travel and a degree in anthropology, archaeology, and art history help inform his fiction writing. Steven also loves painting, photography, and both playing and watching sport.

The travel bug bit the now perpetual nomad early, and to date Steven has lived and worked on five continents, and visited almost sixty countries. Steven combines an age-old writing adage; Write what you know, with his own mantra; Write where you know, and sets most of his novels in places in which he has either lived or spent an extended period of time.

When not on the road with his writer wife Leslie, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico is home, which they share with their rescue cats Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald (Ernie and Fitz).

A lifelong love of food, wine, and beer have demanded a new-found love of yoga and hiking in order to fend off the imminent arrival of middle age.

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Vigilante Justice – The Disposables by David Putnam @daveputnam @oceanviewpub

The Disposables
The Disposables
The Disposables
The Disposables

I was so excited when I won hardcover, signed copies of The Disposables, The Squandered, and The Heartless, and a signed paperback of The Scorned by David Putnam.

Today, I am going to share The Disposables in the Bruno Johnson Thriller series by David Putnam.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read the Bruno Johnson series out of order, but now I am back with the first book in the series, The Disposables by David Putnam. David’s personal life bleeds into his fiction in a realistic fashion. His characters not only walk the Thin Blue Line, they cross it…repeatedly. Bad Boy Bruno Johnson is a disgraced Los Angeles policeman, recently released from prison for murder. He is constantly amazed to have a girlfriend like Maria, who only sees the good in him. Neither one can turn their back on the abused and neglected children that enter their lives. I love the lengths these characters will go to do the right thing. Vigilante justice is something I can understand, even though, if everyone took the law into their own hands, we would be back in the Wild West. I don’t have Book II, The Replacements on hand, so I will be skipping to Book III, The Squandered.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Disposables by David Putnam.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Bruno Johnson, a tough street cop, member of the elite violent crime task force, feared by the bad guys, admired by the good, finds his life derailed when a personal tragedy forces him to break the law. Now he’s an ex-con and his life on parole is not going well. He is hassled by the police at every opportunity and to make matters even more difficult, his former partner, Robby Wicks, now a high-ranking detective, bullies him into helping solve a high profile crime – unofficially, of course. Meantime, Bruno’s girlfriend, Marie, brings out the good, the real Bruno, and even though they veer totally outside the law, he and Marie dedicate themselves to saving abused children, creating a type of underground railroad for neglected kids at risk, disposable kids. What they must do is perilous they step far outside the law, battling a warped justice system and Bruno’s former partner, with his own evil agenda.

  • Genres: Action and Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Vigilante
  • 272 pages, Hardcover
  • First published April 26, 2014 by Oceanview Publishing
  • Series: Bruno Johnson #1

ABOUT DAVID PUTNAM

Best-selling author David Putnam comes from a family of law enforcement. During his career, he did it all: worked in narcotics, served on FBI-sponsored violent crimes teams, and was cross-sworn as a US Marshall, pursuing murder suspects and bank robbers in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Putnam did two tours on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s SWAT team. He also has experience in criminal intelligence and internal affairs and has supervised corrections, patrol, and a detective bureau. In Hawaii, Putnam was a member of the real-life Hawaii Five O, serving as Special Agent for the Attorney General investigating smuggling and white-collar crimes.

Putnam lives in Southern California with his wife, Mary.

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