Feature Post and Book Review: Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Book Description

Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby . . . a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from her dead mother’s closest associates.
 
Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies . . . and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy . . . but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, and Remi’s feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half.
 
Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death. . . 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200555243-primal-mirror?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Z31uZsKWXa&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

PRIMAL MIRROR (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book #8) by Nalini Singh is an exciting paranormal romantic suspense which had me on the edge-of-my- seat as the leopard changeling hero and the Psy heroine go against a frightening evil. While the romance can stand on its own, the suspense plot is ongoing from previous books and there are also several characters pulled from previous books. While you do not need to go back to the beginning of the entire paranormal series, I enjoyed reading this Trinity spinoff series in order.

Psy Auden Scott suffered a terrible brain injury in an accident. While her memories are scattered or even blank, her mother has a diabolical use for her daughter. As Auden’s mind heals, she realizes she is pregnant with a child she has no recollection of conceiving. When her mother dies, Auden does not understand her mother’s associates’ intense interest in the yet to be born baby, but she vows to protect her baby at all costs.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is working on protecting and building his fledgling pack. As he is checking his lands perimeter, he discovers a new neighbor on the adjacent land. This Psy with the unique eyes is very pregnant and has a scent that changes in disturbing ways, and he is fascinated. His alpha will do anything to protect this woman and her to be born cub.

Auden and Remi work together to uncover what Auden mother’s plans were for her that seem to be continuing even after her death as they also protect Auden’s baby. They MS. discover a nightmare even as the entire Psy race is on the brink of mass destruction.

I loved this addition to the series. It is fast paced with tension that continues to ramp up to a discovery that is severely twisted. Auden is a great powerful female heroine that you cannot help but love, not only because of her fight to regain her mental self, but also how much she will do to protect her baby. I have been waiting for Remi to finally meet his mate and this is a great pairing. I also enjoyed how this book pulls in many characters from previous books in the series not only to assist Auden and Remi, but to save the PsyNet itself.

I highly recommend this addition to the series, and I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for this paranormal world in the next book!

***

Author Bio

I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I spent three years living and working in Japan, where I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page.

I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher, but not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.

Social Media Links

Website: https://nalinisingh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNaliniSingh/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NaliniSingh

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nalini-singh

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Ember by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson

Book Description

After surviving the most dangerous mission of his career, John Dempsey is back at Ember. But Ember has changed—and so has he. Meanwhile, a new adversary sees an opportunity to rise. As Dempsey and Vice President Jarvis soon discover, the world stage is about to get deadlier than ever …

To survive the notorious prison IK-2 and assassinate Russian President Vladimir Petrov, John Dempsey had to become rosomakha, the wolverine. Now, back home in America, he’s trying to put the pieces of his life at Ember back together. But which man returned from Russia—Dempsey, or the wolverine? From the way his teammates look at him, it’s obvious they’re not sure, and neither is he.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kelso Jarvis has barely had time to mourn the death of his mentor before a devastating attack reveals a new threat. Because of Dempsey’s mission in Russia, the rules of the game have changed—only now it’s not clear who the players are. As Dempsey leads Ember on a mission to protect and avenge a shocking attack on America, Jarvis’s oath to his nation is tested in ways he never imagined. Together, they must determine who is behind this rising threat and stop the mastermind before it’s too late.

And just as Dempsey begins to feel like himself again, an old ally resurfaces—someone he thought he’d left for dead long ago …

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Ember by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson has Dempsey returning home to the US. After Dempsey’s mission in Russia, the rules of the game have changed. He leads Ember on a mission to protect and avenge a shocking attack on Americans, where Jarvis’s oath to his nation is tested in ways he never imagined. Together, they must determine who is behind this rising threat and stop the mastermind before it’s too late. There will also be a return of a character long thought dead, one who has a complicated past with Dempsey.

If readers want to understand what is going on in the world with nation versus nation, more like a chess game with a lot of action this is the series to read. The characters are acting on their own values and are principled based. 

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: What about a movie/TV/streaming deal?

Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson: There are half dozen projects under development and hopefully announcements will be forth coming in the next six months. The “Tier One series” and “The Four Minutes series” are being developed along with a faith-based series we write and some short stories. “Sons of Valor” is not being developed because it slightly competes with the “Tier One series.”

EC: Is this book the first in the arc, setting up future books?

BA & JW: Yes. What the Chinese have done to the US have been damaging: hacking the infrastructure, stealing secrets, and interfering with trade/monetary policies. We want to show how they are more of a complicated enemy. Our first trilogy had Iran as the enemy, the second trilogy-plus had Russia as the enemy, and now this third trilogy will have China, Ember’s most difficult challenge they have faced.

EC:  What is the Dempsey factor you talk about in this book?

BA & JW:  It is mission before self. The idea that adding Dempsey to the team has the success rate go up disproportionally. He is so good at his job that he is worth two or three operators on the team. His philosophy is about the enemy trying to take another chess piece off the board.

EC:  Can you discuss the different ethos in the book?

BA & JW:  Dempsey has a SEAL’s heart and a warriors’ mind. The politician’s ethos is not the warrior’s ethos that says team before self. Jarvis is conflicted about the warrior ethos versus the politician ethos.

EC:  Why did you put in that first scene in the book?

BA & JW:  The opening scene of Ember was pulled directly from Crusader One. The scene in the Iranian Bazaar was from Dempsey’s point of view in Crusader one.  Now readers get to see it through Elinor’s eyes. He has a lot of guilt about leaving her behind for 2.5 years.

EC:  Did Dempsey have PTSD in this book with his nightmares?

BA & JW:  I think it is impossible for a warrior to do the type of jobs he does without having emotional repercussions. The nightmares signals to the readers he is still grappling with his morals and humanity. We give mixed signals because there is a scene in the book where he focuses on his job.  His team is not sure if he is suffering from PTS or is he OK?

EC:  Why did you highlight Jake, Dempsey’s son, in the story?

BA & JW:  He is following in his dad’s footsteps to become a SEAL. We have big plans for him.  Someday he will be reunited with his dad.  I will not say how and when it will happen.

EC:  Why a new female, Wallace, on the team?

BA & JW:  We changed the chemistry of the Ember team. Grimes is jealous of her since she was accepted outright and a completely different personality: upbeat and cool. Grimes worked so hard to be accepted and now she sees Wallace is easily accepted by the guys.  She feels, ‘are you kidding me, come on.’ Grimes broke the glass ceiling and Wallace comes in to clean it all up.  It is so unfair for her.

EC:  Where are you going with the Grimes/Munn relationship?

BA & JW:  Munn and Grimes have feelings for each other and are drawn together. It could happen.  But they must be wary of temptation, because what happens if it does not work out? Will it affect the team and the professionalism?  How they handle it will be a part of the series going forward.

EC: What about your next books?

BA & JW:  The second book in the “Tier One” next trilogy will continue with the Chinese operative as the villain. No title yet. It will probably come out fall 2025. Lieutenant Commander Keith “Chunk” Redman will make an appearance.

Sons of Valor IV will be a transitional book to the next trilogy in the series. We do not want to ignore the recent everts of October 7th so we will be writing a story with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. It will be out next summer. There will be a lot of Petra and Jarvis.

The Clancy book has Katie Ryan back.  The setting is the South China Sea with high stakes involving Taiwan and China. The title is Defense Protocol coming out in early December.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Review: On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci, M.D.

Book Description

Anthony Fauci is arguably the most famous – and most revered – doctor in the world today. His role guiding America sanely and calmly through Covid (and through the torrents of Trump) earned him the trust of millions during one of the most terrifying periods in modern American history, but this was only the most recent of the global epidemics in which Dr. Fauci played a major role. His crucial role in researching HIV and bringing AIDS into sympathetic public view and his leadership in navigating the Ebola, SARS, West Nile, and anthrax crises, make him truly an American hero.

His memoir reaches back to his boyhood in Brooklyn, New York, and carries through decades of caring for critically ill patients, navigating the whirlpools of Washington politics, and behind-the-scenes advising and negotiating with seven presidents on key issues from global AIDS relief to infectious disease preparedness at home. ON CALL will be an inspiration for readers who admire and are grateful to him and for those who want to emulate him in public service. He is the embodiment of “speaking truth to power,” with dignity and results.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207689829-on-call?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yvggfGYUwz&rank=4

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

ON CALL: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci, M.D. is the autobiography of the most interesting public health doctor/scientist who has served this country for many decades. Stories from his personal life and friendships, his dedication to medicine and public health, and his attempt to remain politically neutral while having his and his families’ lives threatened are all interwoven in a timeline that covers many of the epidemics that have plagued the world in the last sixty years.

I was especially interested in reading about his time working to protect the public from both HIV/AIDs and Covid, two terrible infectious diseases that affected many friends and made me fearful for family. His writing about his personal life is entertaining and I found the entire book fascinating, even though it is in certain places heavy with the science of statistical trials, microbiology and immunology which I did slightly slide through, but he is a man of science, and I am sure other students of public health, medicine and science will find it more important and enlightening than I did.

This is an autobiography of a truly dedicated, compassionate, and brilliant public servant that is worth reading. Thank you for your service, Dr. Fauci.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elsie Cooper: A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis

Book Description

1940: Weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk, Germany is poised to invade a near-defenseless Britain. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.

Caitrin Colline—a Welsh coalminer’s daughter and an ardent socialist—will play the wife of Lord Marlton, Hector Neville-Percy. A less likely couple is at first difficult to imagine. Yet Caitrin’s bold, streetwise confidence and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy.

Battling enemies within and without, Caitrin wonders if anyone in their circle can be trusted—even her partner. And when unexpected events catapult her into a life-or-death chase across the continent, the morale of a nation and the fate of Europe itself in the balance.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is a thriller and mystery all in one book, a spy novel set in England during WWII.

In 1940 there is a fear of German infiltrators throughout England.  To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.

He recruits Hector, Lord Neville-Percy of Marlton, and police constable Caitrin Colline, a “Welsh firebrand, antiroyalist, and future destroyer of England’s aristocracy,” to act as a squabbling married couple driving a hay wagon where the jewels are hidden. Interestingly they have clashing backgrounds and personalities, since they are from different classes.

The heroine Catrine Colline is working for “512,” an undercover outfit. 512 is fictional, but it bears a strong resemblance to Churchill’s SOE (Special Operations Executive), also an undercover operation. She is a woman no one can mess with. Caitrin’s bold, streetwise, confident, and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy, who also happen to be anti-Semitic.

The plot is a good adventure story with likeable characters that readers will root for. 

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

David Lewis: What gave me the idea is how the British hid the jewels 20 feet deep under Windsor Castle and they sent all the Bank of England’s bullion to Canada. I thought if they could transfer the bullion why not the Crown Jewels? This is the first one in the series.

EC:  Was Caitrin based on anyone?

DL: My main character is based on my mother.  She comes from a Welsh coal mining town, one of fourteen children. At the age of fourteen she was sent away to work in a hotel.  I wanted to give my mother a cool and adventurous life.

EC: How would you describe Caitrin?

DL: Caitrin is direct, bold, confident, observant, and a force of nature.  She is also funny, persistent, independent, and determined. She is not so much anti-aristocracy but a socialist who wanted to bring down the landed gentry.  Her goal was to make life more equal for the common man.

EC:  How would you describe Hector?

DL: Hector is from a powerful aristocratic family, but not rich.  He is honest and currently in Special Operations. He is a little bit of a lost soul because of taxes.

EC:  What about their relationship?

DL: He admires her confidence and wishes he had it. They infuriated each other.  Neither one of them can get past their class, stopping the attraction between them. They spark off each other.  They do respect each other.

EC:  Is it true there were German infiltrators?

DL: Churchill was afraid of all the German infiltrators, but MI5 and MI6 were remarkable in sweeping them up. There is this book quote by an English aristocrat, “We English should be building bridges with the Germans. They are our true brothers, not the French or the Poles.” I have always been fascinated by him.  I wanted to make him seen as human, not a legend. Throughout the series he starts to be directly in the adventures. 

EC:  You explore the anti-Semitic sentiment regarding the Jews?

DL: The Aristocracy was also anti-Jew.  All the remarks in the book about the Jews by the aristocracy are true.  For example a book quote, “I lost a fortune to that filthy Jew.  Hitler is right. We should drive the Jews out. They’re nothing but money-grubbing leeches who have latched onto our society.” This is a running theme throughout the whole series.

EC: What about your next book?

DL: The next book, titled Beacon in The Night, is out next year.  It is also based on a true story.  The Germans wanted to drop bombs on historical cities and sites in England. They did it by having an agent on the ground placing a beacon in the buildings where the Germans could bomb with incredible precision. Caitrin and Hector’s job is to find the beacons and the person placing them.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Irish Child by Daisy O’Shea

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE IRISH CHILD by Daisy O’Shea on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

A salty breeze whips the tears from my eyes as I stare out at the emerald Irish Sea. Everything I’ve lost, the child my great grandmother Nellie lost, all feels so present here, in the land my family left years ago. How will I ever move on? Will I ever uncover the truth about the little girl who went missing all those years ago?

When Boston-born Erin arrives in wind-tossed Roone Bay, she’s heart-sore, tired and lonely. Her marriage is over: she’s come to build a new life for herself on Ireland’s rugged southern coast. And to unravel the story behind the mysterious note in her family’s ancient Bible that has haunted her since childhood. But hazel-eyed former lifeboat volunteer Finn, the only local historian around, quietly refuses her pleas to help.

So Erin settles in to the town, with its whitewashed cottages and ruddy-cheeked fishermen, and begins her quest alone. Who was her ancestor, Nellie, and why did she leave Ireland for America? What happened to her missing child, Annie, and did Nellie ever see her again?

Just as Erin despairs ever uncovering the truth, one rain-soaked night she is rescued by Finn, who finally agrees to help. And by firelight and candlelight each evening, just as it would have been in her great-grandmother’s time, Finn and Erin grow closer as they share their stories.

But just as Erin wonders if Roone Bay could be her forever home, she makes a devastating discovery. Will she be able to face the truth, which changes everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and her family’s Irish legacy? Or will she run, just as Nellie did all those years ago, and lose the best chance at happiness she’s ever had…?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212033926-the-irish-child

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE IRISH CHILD by Daisy O’Shea is a captivating dual timeline Irish family saga in this women’s fiction/romance/historical fiction mash-up. This book is the second in a series that is loosely tied together by the Roone Bay setting, but it is easily read as a standalone with some of the characters carried over from The Irish Key.

In the present-day timeline, Erin has physically survived a tragic accident and the loss of her husband, but mentally she cannot move forward. When she discovers a mystery in the family Bible surrounding an ancestor named Nellie, it inspires her to travel to Ireland to look for answers. It is also the perfect escape from her overbearing parents and a chance to find peace.

In Roone Bay, Erin begins to feel a connection to not only her ancestor but also the current inhabitants. She soon discovers she is stronger than she believes and can cope with the painful memories and return to her love of music without feeling guilty. With a job offer and a possible love interest, Erin begins to want to set down roots and stay.

In the past timeline, Nellie, her husband, and their small daughter are trying to survive the Great Hunger in Ireland. Her husband leaves for America and promises to send money for Nellie and Annie to follow. When Nellie eventually gets her husband’s ticket, she now has two children that she must get to America. At the crowded dock, after a terrible voyage, Nellie loses her daughter and discovers much worse. Her journey is a story of terrible loss, fighting to survive, and always moving forward.

I loved this emotional story even with the depiction of a horrific time in Irish history and all the difficulties of both the main female protagonists. The author’s writing pulled me into both timelines effortlessly and I found both intertwining stories gripping. There are no punches pulled in the descriptions of famine, loss, pain, and grief but the author tempers it with the strength, courage, and love of both Erin in the present and Nellie in the past.

I highly recommend this beautifully told story. This women’s fiction/romance/historical fiction mash-up is an emotional and engaging Irish family saga.

***

Author Bio

Sue Lewando was a teacher for several years before migrating to the office environment, where she was PA to the Treasurer of Clarks Shoes, a multi-national company, then, briefly, PA to Susan George, the actress best known for Straw Dogs. Sue had many genre books published (M&B and Virgin), under pseudonyms, and self-publishes her crime thrillers. She was on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England, for whom she assessed typescripts. She has been a fiction tutor for the London School of Journalism for twenty years. She has two grown-up children, a happy second marriage, and a bundle of cats and dogs. She moved to West Cork with her husband to undertake a farmhouse refurbishment project, foster their joint passion for playing Irish traditional music, and to invest time in their individual academic projects. She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at UCC, taking the opportunity to explore diverse writing genres. She works with the Jeremy Murphy Literary Consultancy in the capacity of typescript analyst, ghostwriter, editor, and online publishing advisor. She loves good commercial fiction, and is a devotee of the Oxford comma.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Daisy O’Shea here: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/daisy-oshea/

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaisyOSheaAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/westcorkwriter

Bookouture: https://bookouture.com/bookouture-sign-daisy-oshea/

Purchase Link

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0D2J77FKWsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love

at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Confidence Games by Tess Amy

Book Description

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been inseparable their whole lives. Ever since they reinvented themselves, changing their names and wiping clean their digital footprints, they have made a game of following wherever the next adventure leads and challenging themselves to thefts, street cons, and mind games.

Adhering to only two rules—they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it—Emma and Nellie are secure in their reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. Until suddenly, they must play to save their own lives.

Blackmailed into stealing a priceless bracelet from a high-security exhibit, Emma will reexamine everything she believed to be true. This heist takes her far beyond her comfort zone…and she and Nellie will need allies among the glitzy bejeweled gathering in London in order to survive. Will they be able to do the right thing before it’s too late?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy is a thoroughly entertaining read. Readers will fall in love with the characters and even though they are con artists, will root for them.  There are hidden truths, friendships, the true meaning of family, and a suspenseful mystery.

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow were inseparable friends until Emma got engaged. After her fiancé ditched her, who should show up to help her recover, Nellie.  They now decide to reinvent themselves by changing their names and wiping clean any digital footprints.   Emma and Nellie make a name for themselves on the Goods Exchange International, which is Europe’s biggest Black Market by playing mind games, swindling, and conning people. They made tons of money after picking people’s pockets. Influenced by their backstories they adhere to only two rules: they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it. Known as the Dream Team they make a reputation for themselves. Everything was going great until Nellie is kidnapped, and Emma is forced to steal the Heart of Envy, a piece of jewelry that is being displayed in a London Museum, if she wants to see Nellie alive again.

The supporting characters are just as enchanting as the main characters.  There is Dax the duo’s resident computer expert and Sophia, a ten-year-old girl who delivers the ransom note.  But both Dax and Sophia are also endangered.

This story takes readers on a roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns. It is a suspenseful character driven story that people will love.  The only problem is that this is a stand-alone and there might not be any more stories.  After reading the book, people are going to clamor and plead for more adventures with these characters.

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Amy Tess:  I was living in Italy.  My inspiration comes from small nuggets out of nowhere. I was walking around the city at night.  I saw two girlfriends huddled together and wondered why one of them was wearing a big heavy coat in the middle of summer. It appeared something was hidden under the coat.  I kept thinking afterward, what were they thinking and what were they hiding. I wrote a note to myself: book idea of two friends who were con artists. I enjoy the idea of exploring female friendships.

EC: How would you describe Nellie?

AT: She is strong-willed, a liar, independent, courageous, trusting, and vulnerable. She suffered through horrific abuse in her past. The way she deals with it is to build up resilience and made it her life’s mission to seek out revenge for others. She becomes this Robin Hood-like figure where she believes she is righting wrongs by stealing from bad men. At her core she is a good person.  Throughout the book she learns to address this anger she was holding on to because of her past. Her abuse has influenced how she sees the world.

EC: How would you describe Emma?

AT: She is sad, detailed, a planner, confident, organized, likes to be in control, analytical, and is not very trusting.  She has suffered through heartbreak.  The way she deals with it is to hide who she really is and withdraw. She hides who she really is because she is afraid of getting hurt again.  She sees heartbreak as a risk to be avoided at all costs.

EC:  How would you describe what they do?

AT:  This book quote explains, “We never cross anyone who didn’t deserve it.” This is their belief system, that they are doing bad things to bad people. They are con artists who play mind games, thieves who use focus, deceit, and manipulation. Basically swindlers. Personally, I like to explore this grey area between what is right and wrong.

EC:  What was the role of Dax?

AT:  He is the tech expert of the team. He does not believe in his own skills.  Nellie and Emma give him a professional push. 

EC:  What about the little girl Sophia?

AT: She is trusting, hopeful, someone who has had a lot of rejection and disappointment. I saw her as a mirror to Emma.  They both had a lot of betrayal, yet Sophia is upbeat and very trusting.  She was a guiding light for Emma.

EC:  The role of family?

AT:  They all become a family.  All of them have an issue with their own family so they become their own family, joining together to support one another.

EC: How would you describe the head bad guy?

AT: He likes to play mind games and is tricky. He humiliates, is mean, and is a liar. Once again, with him readers see how the line between good and bad is blurred.

EC:  What about the relationship between Nellie and Emma?

AT: They can read each other’s minds, loyal, will always help each other and look after each other.  They are life long best friends.  The only people they can trust is each other. They have platonic love between each other.

EC:  What is the role of Sophia’s Book of Good Advice?

AT: It was fun for me to write. It was mostly to show Sophia’s wisdom without making her too pretentious. I came up with these quotes.

EC:  Next Book?

AT:  As of now this book will not be a series but I do like to leave it open-ended.  My next book will not be related to this book.  It will be out in July of next year, set in a women’s prison. It is a locked-room mystery where a murder occurs.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.