Review – Ahriman: The Spirit Of Destruction by Puja Guha @GuhaPuja

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MY REVIEW

I love a book that can get all my emotions roiling and Puja Guha did just that with Ahriman. From gut wrenching sorrow, to savage torture, to a love that will break all the rules, I was hooked from beginning to end.

We start off with a late night call and Kasem races to meet Lila. And, we begin the story of Ahriman: The Spirit of Destruction.

We will travel from New York to Kuwait.

Years later, Petra is awakened by an early morning call, cutting short her vacation.

We are in Kuwait. Their is political unrest. There are those that are pushing for Sharia law, wanting to role back any progress they have gained, but the Emir has other ideas. Seeing what is happening in the world today, we all know that is a possibility.

May 15, 2021, is a date that will change the face of the Middle East forever, or will it? What is the plan? Can it be stopped?

Petra had retired from active field duty, but she was the only agent suitable for the job. She has struggled with PTSD and I wonder what happened to cause it. Her career hinges on her decision. They are, more or less, blackmailing her into doing it. And, she will be on her own. It makes me wonder how these undercover operations work in real life. The Agency is a swift action oriented organization that members around the world agreed to. It allows for action without all the oversight and approvals that other organizations may require.

Petra has an incentive to come home from this mission. She has a significant other, Grant, who is also an agent, and though she hasn’t said those three little words, he has. His specialty is IT, and it will come in handy.

We travel from the past to the present and back again as Puja Guha fills in all the blanks and keeps us informed of current events. Terrorism. Betrayal from your own always cuts the deepest. Tragic terrorist actions will change Kasem and Petra’s lives forever.

Kasem didn’t deserve the hand he was dealt. I feel so bad for him and I don’t see a good ending for him. Will Lila ever know the truth? Will Kasem?

General Mayed…evil…I hope he gets taken down in a brutal, savage way. Do unto others should apply to him.

Puja Guha has written a realistic novel of terrorism, betrayal, and love. The manipulation and psychological torture was so real. Ahriman is the story of the creation of an assassin. In the spy game, we have to watch out for those rogue elements that can change history. It makes me wonder how an intelligence agency can keep track of all the double crosses and convoluted ‘missions’ among so many players.

This amazing debut novel brings to mind a suspense series that I have been following for years, the Leine Basso series by D V Berkom. A lone woman agent is sent in to stop a terrorist action that will reverberate around the world. I can’t think of a thing I would change about Ahriman and I never figured out all the double crosses, betrayals, and the ending. There will be more and I can hardly wait to find out what happens next.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“Like Grisham and Clancy… this title shines among the genre simply though superb storytelling.” -The US Review of Books

The Day of the Jackal meets Syriana in the near future.

When the CIA intercepts intelligence on a terrorist attack in Kuwait, Petra Shirazi, a former field agent, comes face to face with the Ahriman, one of Iran’s deadliest assassins.

It was the year when global economies continued to plummet despite analysts’ predictions of a turnaround.
It was the year when the Kuwaiti National Assembly consisted of the largest Islamic contingent in more than two decades.
It was the month when the price of oil plunged to twenty dollars a barrel.
It was the month when the Emir of Kuwait dissolved the National Assembly for the thirteenth time in fifteen years.
It was the day when the head of the Islamic majority of the Assembly hired an assassin and the CIA intercepted intelligence about a new wave of terrorist attacks.
It was the day that would change the face of the Middle East forever.

It was May 15, 2021.

After a disastrous mission forces her out of the field, Petra Shirazi retires from a life of espionage to work in a research position. Three years later, her division stumbles upon a money trail that reveals a massive new wave of terrorist attacks. The money trail places her in the midst of an assassination plot that implicates the highest levels of the Kuwaiti and Iranian governments. Petra will find herself face to face with the Ahriman, a man named for the Persian spirit of destruction who is responsible for a series of bomb blasts that paralyzed the Suez Canal two years earlier. As the investigation begins to unravel, the ripple effects threaten to engulf not only the Middle East and its Western allies, but also the darkest secrets of Petra’s past.

  • Genre: Fiction, Military, Political, Suspense, Thriller
  • Paperback
  • First published June 15, 2014

ABOUT PUJA GUHA

Puja Guha draws upon her experiences from traveling and living around the world in her writing. She has lived in Kuwait, Toronto, Paris, London, and several American cities including New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco. Each of these places and many more show up in her writing as her travel to places such as Mozambique, South Africa, Vietnam, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Guinea-Bissau inspire more and more story ideas. She also uses her experience working in international finance and development with the World Bank and Oliver Wyman to delve into global political themes in both her thrillers and literary fiction.

She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with work experience in finance and health care consulting, along with master’s degrees in public policy from London School of Economics and Sciences Po. She has published two books, international spy thriller AHRIMAN: THE SPIRIT OF DESTRUCTION and literary fiction piece THE CONFLUENCE.

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Review – House Of Jaguar by Mike Bond #mikebond #houseofjaguar

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“We’re back in Guatemala.” “When we get out this time, I’m going to bag it too.”

But they waited one trip too long and Murphy’s life as a pilot flying marijuana from Guatemala to the States is over.

I’m not going into everything that is in the blurb, but I do remember hearing a lot about the CIA, the cartels, corrupt politicians…on both sides…those with their own agendas. To me, everything about the ‘drug wars’ and the way our government handles it is all wrong. A book like House Of Jaguar gets my emotions roiled. The tragic circumstances of the poor and those who get in the way, makes my heart break for them.

“For two years I do not see a track. Then since you came this one’s been near. He’s very rare, a black one…Tonight after the ceremony I go and call him. Then we’ll have money for more seeds – black skins are the most valuable.”

In tragic, dangerous circumstances, there are those who open their hearts, putting their own lives on the line to help others. Dona is one of those characters and Murphy has the misfortune (?) to fall in love with her. How can it be a happy ever after?

He knows too much and tries to tell the world what is being done to the Guatemalans. It is unfortunate that no one seems to care enough to do anything about it, other than hunt him down and shut him up. He is naive to think the things he does won’t end in a bad way. Lives will be lost, but he cannot help himself. He wants her. He wants to make a difference. He wants to be a good guy. He wants to make a difference.

They kill their own. Psycopaths are turned loose on the innocent. Men turn into animals. The savage violence turns my stomach, pisses me off to no end. Why? What makes them think they are more valuable to the world than the next person? Sometimes I think, do unto others should be done unto them. You reap what you sow. You take a life, you have to give one…yours!

Violence, tragedy, intensity, emotions…The author has lived them and it shows in the story he tells. I don’t read books like House Of Jaguar too often any more. They make me soooo angry, frustrated and disturbed because it seems like we, as a people, never learn and history does repeat itself…over and over again.

The ending….

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of House Of Jaguar by Mike Bond.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Shot down over the jungle with a planeload of marijuana, Vietnam War hero Joe Murphy gets caught up in the brutal Guatemalan Civil War when he witnesses an attack on a Mayan village by the Guatemalan Army and its CIA “advisors”. Badly injured, he escapes on a nightmare trek through the jungle, hunted by the Army, the CIA, and death squads.

Healed by guerrilla doctor Dona Villalobos, he falls in love with her and tries to save her from the War’s widening horror of insanity, tragedy, and death. Caught in the crucible of violence and love, he learns the peaks and depths the human heart can reach, and what humans will do for, and to,each other.

Based on the author’s own experiences as one of the last foreign correspondents left alive in Guatemala after over 100 journalists had been killed by Army death squads.

This interview with Mike Bond lasts for 30+ minutes.

ABOUT MIKE BOND

MIKE BOND has been called the “master of the existential thriller” by the BBC and “one of the 21st century’s most exciting authors” by the Washington Times. He is a bestselling novelist, environmental activist, international energy expert, war and human rights correspondent and award-winning poet who has lived and worked in many remote and dangerous parts of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for what is good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the beauty of the vanishing natural world.

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Special Forces – Saving Eric by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

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Jane Blythe is a must read author and loved the first book, Saving Ryder in the Saving Seals Series, so I was eager to begin another adventure.

Saving Eric (Saving SEALS, #2)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I want to start about by saying, I have never rated a Jane Blythe novel below a four. She is one of my favorite authors, but…

Saving Eric had irritating issues for me. I loved their nicknames, but bouncing back and forth between their given name and the nicknames were, at times, confusing to me.

Saving Eric started out great, a lot of action and it felt real. After all, Seal Teams sneak in, accomplish their mission and get out of dodge as quietly as possible. I watch Seal Team on TV religiously and love it, so to see Jane Blythe start a Seal Team series left me eager to read on. I loved the first book, Saving Ryder, so I had high hopes for Saving Eric.

Lavendar is a runner and she runs from him…to her sister. I get that, but I got bored with the push/pull of the romance. I thought she was a strong character, traveling the world on her own…my kind of woman. Showing no fear, but she ended up doubting everything, being a bit wishy washy.

Saving Eric felt as if someone other the Jane Blythe wrote it. The ending was very abrupt. What saved the book was the beginning chapters. It felt real, like reading about current events. The characters were familiar and I love that about Jane Blythe’s series. Even though the books can stand alone, she brings me up to date on what characters from previous books are up to now. All that being said, I am eager for more of her work and just because one book didn’t work for me doesn’t mean the next one won’t. Write on Jane!

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Saving Eric by Jane Blythe.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Will guilt and bad choices prevent these two friends from falling in love?


Lavender Vaile barely survived a madman, and the ordeal became the catalyst for re-evaluating her entire life. While working for an aid organization in Afghanistan her worst nightmare comes true when she is taken hostage by insurgents. Rescued by her best friend and his team of SEALs, one moment of passion changes everything, and the new life she was building could come tumbling down around her.


For Eric “Night” McNamara friendship means everything and when Lavender is kidnapped he’ll do anything to save her life and help her heal from the trauma. Anything. Including sleeping with her. But guilt and past mistakes have him tucking tail and running when he realizes that sometimes friendship can blossom into something more. When Lavender disappears a second time he will have to set everything aside and let his heart rule if he wants to get her back alive.

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Jane has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series, Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.

When she’s not writing Jane loves to read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies. She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears. She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!

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MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

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Giveaway – Status 6 by W Craig Reed @wcraigreed @partnersincr1me

Status-6 by W. Craig Reed Banner

STATUS-6

by W. Craig Reed

May 1 – 31, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

Status-6 by W. Craig Reed

Deep beneath the Arctic Ocean, a covert team of Chinese operatives uses stolen U.S. technology to capture Russia’s newest attack submarine. Loaded with 100-megaton nuclear torpedoes, the sub is headed west. The Americans want to sink her, the Russians want her back, and the Chinese claim they’re not responsible.

NCIS agent Jon Shay is a former SEAL Team Two operator. Still shattered by the murder of his wife a year earlier, he places the barrel of a revolver against his temple, spins the cylinder, and squeezes the trigger. He hears only a click—and the chime of his phone. Activated for a mission in the Arctic, Jon pairs with British scientist Kate Barrett to battle a ticking clock, trained operatives, and top government officials. Together, they must find and stop the world’s most lethal submarine. The stakes are raised when they learn that the Russian sub is controlled by an infected AI system bent on completing its mission to create a nuclear winter.

Praise for Status-6:

“W. Craig Reed’s Status-6 is my vote for Thriller of the Year. The protagonist is Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan meets Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.” — Grant Blackwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy’s “Under Fire

“W. Craig Reed’s latest novel, Status-6, is the best book I’ve read this year—a ripped-from-the-headlines military technothriller that literally left me awake at night, fearful of where we’re headed as a nation and a species. What’s next after the nightmare coronavirus pandemic? Don’t miss this first book in the NCIS Special Ops series that promises to shatter the thriller genre.” — James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of “The Demon Crown (Sigma Force)”

“W. Craig Reed’s Status-6 grabs you from page one and doesn’t let you go. The global security crisis revealed in this book is all-too-real and could well be tomorrow’s headlines. The characters are well-nuanced and provide a powerful urge to root for or against them. Don’t read this thriller before going to bed—you’ll be awake all night!” — George Gladorisi, New York Times bestselling author of the Tom Clancy Op Center series

Status-6 Book Details:

Genre: Military Thriller
Published by: Post Hill Press
Publication Date: April 13th 2021
Number of Pages: 256
ISBN: 1682619354 (ISBN13: 9781682619353)
Series: Status-6 is the first book in the NCIS Special Ops Thriller series.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

 

Read an excerpt from Status-6:

With his legs sore and lungs burning from the cold, Jon arched his back and stretched when the group finally stopped marching thirty minutes later. To his right, about a quarter-mile distant, the bright blue stripes covering the mess tent signaled the location of the ICEX camp. Two holes, three feet in diameter, had been carved into the ice a few feet from where the group now stood. Jon surmised they were the spent practice torpedo holes drilled by Navy Divers. Liang and company must have parked the ASDS nearby and used the holes as infiltration points. Also, Liang must have had some inside help to deactivate the intruder detection system surrounding the holes. But who? Rinaldo? When would she have had access to that system? More unanswered questions.

Rinaldo approached and said, “Since you’re the former Navy SEAL, why don’t you help our female guest suit up?”

Jon crossed his arms. “This has gone far enough. Time for some answers, Rinaldo.”

Rinaldo pointed her M-16 at Kate’s head. “How’s this for an answer—she suits up or dies.”

Jon uncrossed his arms and fought to quell the ire-stoked coals in his chest. He turned toward Kate. “Are you a certified diver?”

Kate’s nose and cheeks were red. She shivered. “I hate water.”

“Drinking or swimming?” Jon said, hoping to diffuse Kate’s angst.

It didn’t work. Kate looked like a small child being forced to brave a dark alley. “I can’t do this.”

While donning a dry suit, Rinaldo cocked an ear. “What’s the problem?”

Kate stared at the hole in the ice. Frigid blue water lapped against the sides. She backed up and turned away.

“I think she has a water phobia,” Jon said.

“Get her over it,” Rinaldo said.

Jon bristled. The muscles in his face tightened. He grabbed Kate’s suit and brought it to her. Facing her back, he said, “Turn around.” Shaking, Kate remained facing away.

“Please, turn around.”

Kate turned.

“Good,” Jon said. “Now look at me.”

Kate’s eyes met his. Though full of fear, they were riveting, like a blue morning sky touching the edges of a Nebraska corn field. Jon felt his heart flutter. He tried to hold on to the feeling, but it refused to linger. A year had come and gone since he’d lost his wife, but the pain in his chest still held the high ground.

“I’m not setting a foot in that water,” Kate stammered. Her eyes burned with defiance.

“What about a toe?”

Kate crossed her arms and said nothing.

“Just put on the suit to keep the witch happy while I think of something,” Jon said.

“Something?”

“Yeah, something.”

“Like what, mate?”

Rinaldo called over from the other side of the ice hole. “Five minutes, Shay.”

Jon held up the suit. “Just put it on, please. I promise I’ll think of something.”

Kate rolled her eyes and held out her arms. “Fine, but you’d better not be lying to me.”

“Who’s your colleague?” Jon asked as he moved in close to help Kate don the dry suit.

“Bobby Ruppert. He’s a bit rough around the edges and goes into panic mode in stressful situations, but he’s a brilliant engineer.”

While Jon zipped up Kate’s dry suit, the scent of her perfume conjured a memory. He shivered.

“Now what?” Kate said. Her bottom lip quivered. Annelia had also done that when she was frightened.

Jon pulled on his suit. He stepped toward Kate and said, “Let’s just put on our SCUBA gear and then I’ll make my move.”

“Your move?” Kate shot back.

Jon said nothing as he helped Kate into a BC vest, saddled up her tank, and held a Kirby Morgan diving mask in her direction. “Put this on.”

Kate’s tone turned urgent as she grabbed the mask. “You said you’d think of something.”

“Just follow my lead.” Jon pulled on his tank and ran through a system check. The action felt like a visit from an old friend and reminded him of dozens of missions survived.

Kate shook her head in defiance as she sucked in a breath. The hiss of compressed air echoed off nearby shards of ice pushed skyward by Mother Nature.

One by one, Liang’s men entered the water. Jon watched Kate recoil with each splash.

Rinaldo approached. “Ready?”

Kate’s eyes widened. She held her palms up as if to say, “Something?”

Now fully suited, Jon led Kate toward the water. He had to drag her the last few feet. He turned toward her, lifted up his mask, and said, “I’ll hold your hand all the way. This will all be over in five minutes.”

Her eyes still wide, Kate tried to step backward but Jon held onto to her hands and gently kept her in place.

“Just follow me,” Jon said. “I’ve done this hundreds of times.”

Kate shook her head as she dug her heels into the ice.

Rinaldo slapped Jon’s back. The gesture did not feel friendly.

Jon slowly guided Kate toward the hole’s edge. She fought to pull away. He held on tight and looked into her eyes, assuring her in silence that she could do this. Tears streamed down Kate’s face and dripped onto the mask’s rubber lining. Her breathing was erratic. Jon’s heart ached with compassion and guilt. He felt like a jailor forcing an innocent victim into a torture chamber. The bitter taste of choler filled his mouth as he stole a glance at Rinaldo. The beast in his gut grumbled and demanded to be set loose. Jon closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and out to quell the angst.

He opened his eyes, lifted his mask again, and focused on Kate. Softening his voice, he said, “Close your eyes.”

Kate stared at him through her mask. Jon could tell she wanted to trust him, but fear remained her master. He had seen this kind of panic before on the faces of green wannabe SEALs learning how to dive the Navy way. None of them had ever made it through training. For sure, none of them would have survived a dive in Arctic waters.

“Close your eyes and trust me,” Jon said. “Don’t open them until we’re out of the water.”

Trembling, Kate closed her eyes. Jon pulled on her fins and helped her into a seated position with her legs dangling into the water. He did all this with slow movements so as not to make a splash. Rinaldo stood by and watched with impatient indifference. Jon slipped into the hole…

***

Excerpt from Status-6 by W. Craig Reed. Copyright 2021 by W. Craig Reed. Reproduced with permission from W. Craig Reed. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

W. Craig Reed

William Craig Reed is the New York Times bestselling author of thrillers and non-fiction military and business books including Spies of the Deep: The Untold Story of the Most Terrifying Incident in Submarine Naval History and How Putin Used The Tragedy To Ignite a New Cold War and the critically acclaimed Red November (HarperCollins). Also, The Seven Secrets of Neuron-Leadership (Wiley), an award-winning business book, and Tarzan, My Father (ECW) co-written with the late Johnny Weissmuller, Jr.

Reed served as a U.S. Navy submariner and diver during the Cold War and earned commendations for completing secret missions, some in concert with SEAL Team One. Reed’s military experience and inside contacts help infuse his writing with intrigue and realism, and inspired his next non-fiction book, Also, this novel: STATUS-6 about a former SEAL Team Two operator turned NCIS agent that teams with a British female scientist to stop a Russian submarine controlled by an infected artificial intelligence.

Reed holds an MBA in Marketing and was a former vice president and board director for the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association. Reed is the co-founder of Us4Warriors, an award-winning Veterans Non-Profit and serves on the Board of Aretanium, a wellness firm that leverages the neuroscience he wrote about in his leadership book to provide personalized wellness and professional development programs to accelerate brains, careers, and relationships.

Catch Up With W. Craig Reed:
WCraigReed.com
Goodreads
BookBub: @wc14
Instagram: @wcraigreed
Twitter: @wcraigreed
Facebook: @wcraigreed

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

 

 

Enter the Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for William Craig Reed. There will be ONE (1) winner who will receive TWO (2) physical William Craig Reed books (including The 7 Secrets of Neuron Leadership AND Spies of the Deep). The giveaway begins May 1, 2021 and ends on June 1, 2021. This giveaway is available only for shipping addresses located in the US, UK, and Canada. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

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Justice Gone & Beijing Memorandum #NLombardiJr #JBMorris @iReadBookTours

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I won a signed paperback of Justice Gone by N Lombardi Jr from Freda’s Voice. Thank you Freda and Nick for the wonderful addition to my book stack.

Justice Gone

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

OMG. I was raging and saddened for Joey Felton. Fucking animals…a familiar story that has shared more than one headline in our current events…a man beaten to death by the police…a scape goat. A trial where all the biases and failings of the justice system are exposed. A frightening look at out justice system…the good and the bad.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

I won a signed paperback of Beijing Memorandum by J B Morris. I would like to thank IReadBookTours. Lauren and J B Morris for this wonderful addition to my book stack.

The Beijing Memorandum: America's Worst Nightmare: The Chinese People's Republic of Mexico

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Moses swore he would never walk away from someone asking for his help…and he doesn’t. For a political thriller, this has it all. The characters…some I loved, some I loathed, and some I wanted to reach into the pages and take them out myself. The action is nonstop with intrigue and danger. Sometimes are enemies are our friends and make an unlikely but necessary ally. Five hundred plus pages of an in depth look into Moses’ world of fiction that kept be reading late into the night.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Interview, Giveaway & Review – Revenge by George Lockie @iReadBookTours

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Join us for this tour from January 6, 2020 to January 17, 2020!

Book Details:
Book Title
Revenge by George Lockie
Category:  Adult Fiction, 178 pages
Genre Thriller
Publisher Austin Macauley
Release date:   December 2018
Tour dates: January 6, 2019 to January 17, 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 – M: 
 This is an action thriller involving special forces military. There are scenes of violence, including torture.

MY REVIEW

It all starts with Achmael. His life was with his goats. He is lucky to be alive. Usually anyone handicapped is put to death because of their harsh life in Ghat, a remote and isolated village. He is club footed.

The soldiers had been told to dump the bodies in a pit, but did a lousy job of it, which was good for the survivors, which Achmael found.

The British were not going to let their torture go unpunished. Rory would be leading the team to get their revenge. But, it won’t be easy.

The training they go through is brutal, yet amazing. Pain suppression. It is highly secret, even to MI5 and MI6.

The Sultan is not one to be crossed and believe torture is the order of the day.

They make their first move and through they have blended in with their environment, I feel something terrible is coming their way. Will the Sultan catch onto their plan? Would he set a trap for them? If so, will they survive? Can they accomplish their mission and get out…alive?

If you read George Lockie’s biography, you will see he has military experience to draw on, making his characters, and the world they live in, come to life. The bond formed is one of respect and loyalty, working as a well oiled machine to accomplish a common goal. His research pays off and showcases the characters in a realistic way.

I loved Revenge and the characters that stuck together through thick and thin, no matter the danger they faced. To get an inside look at how they operate makes me appreciate what those in service sacrifice for us, that sit comfy, cozy going about our daily business.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Revenge by George Lockie.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

George Lockie: AUTHOR INTERVIEW FOR THE NOVEL REVENGE.

Question  : Do you have another profession besides writing:

Answer    : No I am retired now, I was national operations manager for

                  A very large packaging company which meant I travelled the

                  globe many times a year and met some fantastic people. I also

                  spent time in every location mentioned in all my novels to

                  date.

Question : How long have you been writing?

Answer   : I toyed with it for a few years but became serious about 2004

                 And have been writing for almost fifteen years.

Question : What is your next project?

Answer   : With my sixth novel waiting on my choice of publisher and

                  my seventh about 30% complete everything has become very  

                 complicated as promotion of my novels has become a major

                 issue.

Question ; What genre do you write and why?

Answer   : As I have said all my books relate to my own life. Experiences

                 I have had, places I have visited, military life and business

                 memories.

Question : My favourite authors are.

Answer   : My two favourite authors are Bernard Cromwell’s historical

                 classics and David Baldacci for his popular crime stories.

Question : Where do you write?

Answer   : In my study locked away from all interferences.

Question : Do you write every day?

Answer   : No I only write when there is something pressing in my head

                 and it becomes automatic to get it down in writing.

Question : Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?

Answer   : Yes early in the piece but it was tiresome and the computer

                 is so easy particularly with revisions and corrections.

Question : If you could go back in time, where would you go?

Answer   : Interesting question, I have a love for medieval times and

                 exploring new places particularly Asian countries.

Question : If there is one thing I want readers to remember, what would it be?     

  Answer   : Rory Glasson and his many exploits particularly in MI5.

Book Description:
Rory Glassen is selected to join an elite SAS cell. They are sent to Libya to seek retribution for the near-death torture of two of their SAS troopers, at the hands of a medieval-run empire led by a despotic Sultan. What was to be a milk-run operation turns sour, as a battle of wits to survive soon develops between two warring factions. Sultan and Rory lock horns, trying to outwit each other and prevent any more deaths. It is only when a most unexpected ally emerges from Rory’s distant past, and offers the cell information, that a solution appears. Like worms, they burrow into the catacombs of the old Roman Fort on which the Sultan’s Palace is built and seek their revenge.

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Meet the Author:
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1941. Married in 1964 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Wife’s name is Avril. Has two children, Darren (52) and Vanessa (47). Enjoyed six years’ service in the Parachute Regiment in the British Army from 1960 to 65, mainly in the Middle East and Europe. Migrated as a family to Australia, in 1965, seeking new challenges and a different lifestyle in a more exciting environment. Traveled extensively worldwide whilst employed by a major Australian International Packaging Group, as National Operations Manager, a senior management role from 1986 to 2003. Started writing in 1995, as he felt that the Army relationships and strong emotional bonds that are created in life-threatening experiences in the field, had not been exposed, or described adequately, in the novels he had read. His first novel tried to cover that. It takes place post-WWI through to post-WWII. The second novel, a follow-up military story, again covers a subject not exposed as a problem before. His third novel covers a criminal gang and its unique way to produce huge profits from the saddest moments in human life; yet a boon to the medical world. The fourth exposes the world of computer hacking, with a clever killer achieving his aim of executing a crime boss in revenge for his wife’s death at his hands. 1st: Eye of the Hunter (Thriller, suspense.) 2nd: Chameleon (Suspense, thriller, crime.) 3rd: Miracle Cure (Military, Crime, Police.) 4th: Furtive Shadows (Military, SAS, MI6) All novels are linked by a common major character, Rory Glassen – a ruthless, dedicated soldier with extraordinary senses and physical attributes gleaned from his childhood upbringing alone in the Scottish Glens.

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Fact or Fiction ~ Terror Never Sleeps by Richard Blomberg

Terror_Never_Sleeps_-_Updated
I love books about political intrigue and conspiracy. With the amount of terrorist activity in the real world, Terror Never Sleeps by Richard Blomberg reads as if it is non fiction. From the United States to Timbuktu, America’s elite Navy Seals fight to save the world from nuclear holocaust.
 Terro_Never_Sleeps_(updated)

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TitleTerror Never Sleeps
Book 2: Jack Gunn Thriller Series
Author: Richard Blomberg
Publisher: Beaver’s Pond Press
Publication Date: February 15, 2015
Pages: 337
ISBN: 978-1592988952
Genre: Military Thriller / Suspense
Format: Paperback, eBook (.mobi / Kindle), PDF
Cover: Laura Drew
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MY REVIEW
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I love the simple, yet descriptive cover.
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This military thriller is so realistic it pissed me off, had me screaming at the characters and made we wish I could crawl through the pages and kick some terrorist butt too.
Characters: Jack, Nina, his wife, Dewey, Jack’s right hand, Travis, his brother and many others who act out their supporting roles. Who will be the final judge, jury and executioner? Who doesn’t make it back?
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Jack Gunn returned home from his mission, only to find his wife and son missing and the house covered with blood and bullet holes. He’d been in Palestine, negotiating a deal requiring the release of his biggest enemy, the last in the line of the El-Hashem family. A BIG mistake! A badal had been declared and one of them would die.
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Jack and Travis are orphaned brothers raised by Sioux elders. One is a Navy Seal, the other a doctor.
Jack’s wife, Nina, was also raised believing in the Sioux way. I love the mystical connection. The characters have an ability to see, connect and talk in the spirit world. It adds that something extra that takes writing to another level.  Jack is the head of the CTF, Counterterroism Task Force, whose motto is: Terror Never Sleeps.
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Nina suffers tremendous physical and mental torture – fear for her child, being beaten, possibly raped, kicked, drugged. They beat her down mentally and she fought the urge to give up. Could it get worse? Oh yes, much worse.
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I am appalled at Richards description of the abuse some of the characters would inflict on each other, just because they could. It all seems so real. When you read this, its almost like hearing of the horrible killings on the news. Who would use a man’s family, his wife and child, to get revenge? Don’t the bad guys have rules too? Not when it comes to these guys. They are pure evil. They rejoice in the torture they inflict on others. How they are able to do that, I cannot figure out.
..
Nina is no wimp. I love her. She is an unlikely hero and I only hope I could do as well as her in a similar situation. She has a shotgun in hand and uses it! She has survived breast cancer, so she can survive whatever this animal will throw at her too. At her lowest, she would think of her son and that would give her that something extra she needed to go on.
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Seals – the elite of the elite. They have an amazing sense of right and sacrifice. They have some fantastic weapons at their disposal, too. I loved reading about the mini plane with grenades. Good job.
Read a book like this and you, too, may believe in torture for info, and the premise, shoot first and take no prisoners. This novel will tell you why there must be secret teams and missions, so our enemies don’t know what we are doing.
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There is tons of action and the pacing kept me reading from beginning to end. Terrorists, dirty bombs, kidnapping, child abduction, badal, nuclear bombs and Native American mysticism. A rich combination of genres that blended so well I could almost believe it was real.
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From the shores of the United States to Timbuktu the characters each struggle to survive and I was happy to travel with them.
Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 5 Stars
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SYNOPSIS
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Navy SEAL Jack Gunn’s life is turned upside down when terrorists kidnap his family and disappear without a trace. While Jack and his team search frantically for clues in Virginia, half-way around the world, his wife, Nina struggles to survive the terrorist’s daily persecutions as his hostage.
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Terror Never Sleeps is an action-packed tale of Nina’s transformation into a warrior who is fighting for her life, and Jack’s relentless pursuit of the terrorists from Mali to Diego Garcia to Pakistan. A military coup, propaganda, dirty bombs, and the launch of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal with one target—Israel—is all part of the terrorist’s master plan, who are hellbent on blowing the world back to the eighth century. The non-stop action keeps the reader constantly off balance with the bizarre and unexpected.
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EXCERPT
 
Chapter 1
Dawley Corners, VA
“I’m scared, Mommy.” Barett sat back up in bed, clutching his dinosaur pillow under one arm and his frayed security blanket under the other..
“Don’t cry, honey. Daddy will be home tomorrow.” Nina brushed her
son’s tears aside with her fingers, cupped his tender face in her hands, and
gave him a kiss on the forehead. She inhaled the scent of baby shampoo from his
tangled wet hair and snuggled him to her chest. Barett’s Mickey Mouse
night-light cast a buttery glow across the carpet. A constellation of
fluorescent stars and planets were already glued to the ceiling of
his brand-new bedroom and floating like luminous jellyfish in the dark above.
“But what if the bad guys kill Daddy?” Barett chewed on the fringe
of his blanket.
“Nobody’s going to kill Daddy,” Nina quickly answered for the
umpteenth time as she stroked his black hair. Barett nodded, locked on Nina’s
eyes. She closed the bedtime storybook and put it back on the nightstand.
Barett’s lower lip quivered. “What if you die, Mommy? I heard you
and Daddy talking.” He started crying again.
Nina gasped. “You don’t need to worry anymore, sweetie. Mommy’s
cancer is all gone.” She crossed her hands across her chest and threw them up
into the air. “Poof! And Daddy is a brave Sioux, just like you.” She poked
Barett in the chest. “If the president of the United States trusts Daddy to
protect his country, I don’t think we need to worry.”
Sorrow instantly overwhelmed Nina, sad that Barett’s last thoughts
before falling asleep were to fear for his mommy’s and daddy’s lives—even though
Nina frequently cried herself to sleep with those same fears. Barett, Nina’s
angel throughout her chemotherapy, reached up and brushed her tears away with
his baby-soft fingers as he had done so many times before.
If Jack was Nina’s soul mate, Barett was her heart mate. Nina’s
first pregnancy ended horribly with a devastating and unexpected miscarrage.
Her second ended the same way. So after nine months of living on the jittery
edge of sanity, wondering what would go wrong the third time around, Barett was
her gift from God who miraculously joined the world on Nina’s twentysixth
birthday. She loved her little bear more than anything. She
loved Barett more than Jack.
Trying to stay strong and keep up a good front for Barett while
Jack was away, Nina snatched the dreamcatcher hanging from a tack in the wall
above Barett’s pillow and fanned his face with its eagle feathers as if she
were trying to start a fire.
“Remember, Uncle Travis had a very special medicine man make this
to protect you from bad dreams.” She tickled his chest until he giggled.
“He’s funny.”
“Now go to sleep, honey. Daddy will be home tomorrow.” She leaned
over and gave him one last kiss.
Nina left his door half open, just how Barett liked, and went
downstairs to lock up for the night. Everything in their condominium smelled
fresh and new. The paint on the walls, the polish on the floors, and the carpet
on the stairs. It was their first home and their first mortgage. Nina smiled,
thinking of her husband, Jack, and how he had gone over the top to buy the most
expensive door and window locks.
Being a Navy SEAL and the head of the Counterterrorism Task Force
(CTF) made it nearly impossible for Jack Gunn to trust anyone. The only people
he trusted were the other SEALs on his Ghost Team and Native Americans, like
Nina and him.
“I’m not going to be a prisoner in my own home, Jack. Spend all
the money on locks and guns and whatever else you think we need, but take a
look around. We’re not living in Afghanistan.” Nina had opened the blind so
Jack could look out and see their front yard of new sod, their one-inch elm
sapling held vertical by three posts and gardening wire, and the empty lots
across the street staked out for new construction. No one else had even moved
into their
building yet. They had first pick in the new ocean-view community
in Dawley Corners, south of Virginia Beach.
“This is what I’ve always wanted, Jack,” Nina had told him. “I
know it’s not Montana, but there’s no place I’d rather be.”
“The perimeter is secure,” she could almost hear Jack saying.
Her smile vanished as she pulled back a corner of the curtain and
watched a windowless panel van slowly cruise past their condo. It was the type
of hammer-and-nail-laden van construction crews drove through their
neighborhood on a daily basis, but not after dark at nine thirty on a Saturday
night.
There was something about the van that sent a shiver up her spine
as it crawled around the cul-de-sac and came back. She let the sheer curtain
fall back into place and watched the headlights. They stopped at the end of
Nina’s driveway. With a growl of the engine, smoke puffed from the tail pipe
into the chilled air. Now hiding behind the front door, she began to
hyperventilate as she fought off the suffocating feeling of panic.
Nina felt guilty for cowering like a scared little girl. She knew
if Jack were home, he would have put one of his patented kill looks on
his face, stomped out the front door, and challenged the guys in the truck. He
did stuff like that all the time. Most of the time, the other guys took off
before he got close enough to do any harm; he looked that intimidating. Far
from being politically correct, Jack was the man who backed down to nobody. Who
feared nobody. Who suspected everybody.
Nina swallowed hard, checked the lock, and glanced up the stairs
to make sure Barett was still in bed. Fingers trembling, she fumbled to get her
cell phone out of her pocket to call Jack, but dropped it. Pieces of plastic
and glass blasted in every direction, like a grenade exploding in the dark, when
it hit the porcelain tile.
“Oh my God!” she gasped. That was her only phone. The van still
rumbled in the street, not moving. She made out the silhouette of a
stocking-capped, bearded man in the passenger seat. Her brain swelled like an
expanding water balloon between her ears.
“Think, dammit. Think.” She heard Jack’s words reverberating in
her head. It was late Saturday night, her phone was trashed, their home
Internet was not scheduled to be activated until Monday, which had not been a
big deal because her smartphone functioned as a mobile hot spot for her laptop.
All that had changed the instant her phone crashed.
Her feet felt as if they were stuck in cement, nailing her to the
floor behind the door.
“The gun. I’ve got to get the gun.”
She looked through the curtain at the van one last time, then
stumbled up the stairs, went into their bedroom closet, and turned on the
light. The gun safe still had the manufacturer’s stickers on the anodized steel
door.
She dialed three numbers stuck in her head. Nothing. She tried
again. Nothing. The combination to the safe lay splayed across the entryway
floor downstairs in a worthless cell phone microchip.
A noise outside spooked her. Her fingers trembled on the dial.
She tried the lock one last time and prayed. “Hallelujah!” The
door opened. She grabbed the loaded shotgun. Jack always said it was the best
gun for home protection. Point the scattergun in the general direction of your
target and pull the trigger. It would blow a hole in the door the size of a basketball.
Nina had pulled the trigger on a shotgun once before. She blasted
tin cans and beer bottles with her brothers back at the reservation garbage
dump in Montana when she was a kid. The gun kicked like a mule and knocked her
on her butt. It seemed funny at the time.
She flipped the safety off, racked a shell into the chamber,
turned off the light, and tiptoed back out of the closet. The gun went first,
with Nina’s slippery finger on the trigger. Her eyes dilated to adjust back to
the dark.
The condo was too new. Nothing looked familiar. Every shadow,
every noise made her jump. The furnace kicked in. The bedroom curtain fluttered
over the heat duct. She heard a noise in the hallway. Nina opened the door with
the gun barrel.
“Mommy.”
“Barett. Oh my God. I almost . . .” She covered her mouth,
overcome by a sudden wave of nausea. Nina swallowed hard to push the bile back
down as she propped the gun up against the wall behind the door, out of
Barett’s sight. She grabbed Barett, hugged him hard, and carried him back to
his room. “Stay in bed, honey. Mommy will be right back.”
Nina snatched the gun with her shaking, sweaty hands and quickly
crept back down the carpeted stairs, trying her best to keep quiet.
The front door was still locked. The van was gone. She held the
shotgun against her chest and fixed her eyes on the doorknob, dreading movement
of any kind. Her heart raced as she waited in the dark.
The wind blew. The furnace kicked off. The doorknob did nothing.
She turned on the entryway light and scraped together all the
pieces of her phone.
I can’t call the police. The phone lines are down till Monday. I
can’t call or text Jack. He’ll be pissed. It was probably nothing. No need to
get all worked up. Just go to bed. Get a new cell phone in the morning before
Jack gets home. And put that stupid gun away before you shoot someone.
  ***
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  Book Publication Date: February 15, 2015
 .

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***
About The Author
 SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERADr. Richard Blomberg has practiced anesthesia in the land of 10,000 lakes for twenty years. He grew up in an Iowa farm town, the oldest of ten, before serving as a Navy hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War. For generations, Richard’s family has proudly served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and currently lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and family, where he is working on his next Jack Gunn thriller.
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To learn more about the author, sign up for his newsletter, read his blog, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Connect with Richard:  Website  /  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads
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