Publisher : Beck and Branch Publishers (February 8, 2021)
Publication date : February 8, 2021
Hi, everyone!
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for a new action adventure retelling of a well known legend – KING ROBIN by M.A. Moss.
Below you will find a book description, my book review and an about the author section. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Robin Hood meets Game of Thrones: “He robbed the rich and gave to the poor… until he became king.” In this adult-rated, action packed saga, the beloved rogue of Sherwood Forest triumphs over the ruthless Prince John and takes the throne – only to become a tyrant himself.
Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, King Richard and the legend’s other characters are complex figures alive with raw passions, dark impulses and ribald humor.
KING ROBIN by R.A. Moss is a new fictional retelling of the legend of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. This retelling of the legend gives the reader an overview of his entire life with an alternative version of his life in later years as he becomes the King of England.
Robert Webber grew up and lives with his mother and grandfather is a cottage outside of Nottingham. He has been the recipient of a good education and the family has lived a comfortable life, due to a secret, that is not so secret, but is never discussed. Anna Webber has raised her son to believe in honor and fairness to all no matter their station in life.
When he becomes of age, he accompanies the local baron to London to petition the King. He is awed by the city and Prince Richard, but he will also learn of the treachery and back-stabbing in the royal court. As he follows the prince he learns of the imperfections of humans, no matter the rank.
When Richard goes on Crusade, Robert is situated in a position by Richard to be the moral conscious to offset his younger brother, John’s cruel intentions. This begins the legend and gathering of the Merry Men and his alias as Robin Hood.
I enjoyed this retelling of the legend. The author’s writing pulled me into the life of Robert Webber with all the action, intrigue and the realistic character arc from idealistic youth to becoming the ruler he fought against. He did a good job of bringing the Merry Men together and made them more realistic and human, also. I liked the portrayal of Marion as a female with as much influence, power and courage as any of Robin’s men, but I had a big problem with the inserted explicit scenes of oral sex. I felt they were unnecessary, too frequent and for that time in history not probable. This story is an excellent read as a morality tale of the corruption that power brings and should focus on that, not gratuitous sex scenes disguised as romance.
This is an enjoyable action adventure retelling of a legend with a morality tale woven into the story.
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About the Author
I earned my keep as a writer long before penning KING ROBIN, a journey into a new genre which I’m excited to share. Under my birth name, I’ve authored four novels in other genres that earned accolades from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today. Along with being a presenter at book festivals and author conferences in Arkansas, California, Ohio and Wisconsin, my work has been featured nationwide on TV, radio and publications in print and on the web.
Today I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Blackthorn Book Tour for SINNER’S CROSS: A Novel of the Second World War by Miles Watson.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links.
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Book Description
In 1944, Sinner’s Cross was just a point on a map: a muddy track through shell-torn German woods. Worthless…except to the brass on both sides of the war, who are willing to sacrifice their best men to have it. Men like Halleck, a tough-as-nails Texan who traded driving cattle for driving soldiers; Breese, a phenomenal actor who can play any part but hero; and Zenger, the Nazi paratrooper who discovers Hitler’s Germany is a lousy place to grow a conscience. Their lives and deaths will intersect at the place called Sinner’s Cross.
Trigger warnings: Realistically reflects war conditions: graphic violence; death; physical and emotional suffering
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
SINNER’S CROSS by Miles Watson is a historical fiction book set in 1944 during the Hurtgen Forest campaign in WWII. There was no tactical advantage to this campaign and yet it was the longest campaign fought and the least successful. This is an amazing, dark, gritty, realistic look at war through the eyes of the three main characters.
This book is a depiction of the horrors of battle in graphic detail following three main characters; the battle-hardened Sgt. Halleck, a Texas cowboy and Lt. Breese, fresh from college, who wanted an acting career, but ended up in a meat-grinder field of combat and then there is the Nazi Major Zengy, Parachute Battalion. Their lives and deaths all end up intersecting at Sinner’s Cross.
This story’s main characters are diverse and yet the war brings them all down to basic survival and a kill or be killed mentality at Sinner’s Cross. But the author has also written into his characters thoughts of duty versus doubt and the overall conflict over the senseless loss of life over useless ground.
I feel as though the author has given me a glimpse into a small part of the past lives of my uncles and father that they never talked about except to other veterans. I have watched the movies “The Battle of the Bulge” and “Saving Private Ryan”, but somehow reading this book was even more intimate and chilling. I did have to put this book down a couple of times due to the intense feelings it provoked, but I also could not stop reading it because I had to know the outcome of each character.
I highly recommend this book for its exceptionally realistic depiction of war on the average man and the thought provoking motives of decisions made throughout.
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About the Author
Miles Watson was first published at the age of 17 and has never looked back. He is now an eleven-time award winning author of three novels, a short story collection and several novellas, and has vowed to write in every genre before he’s finished. When not at the typewriter, he has worked as everything from a law enforcement officer to a Hollywood make-up effects artist, and divides his time between the West and the East Coast.
As well as Awards for Sinner’s Cross, listed above, Miles Watson has also won multiple awards and citations for his other books:
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Buoni Amici Release Blitz for LOCK & LOAD (PASS Series Book #3) by Freya Barker.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Juggling two jobs is nothing new for registered nurse, Hillary Glenwood, she’s been doing it for most of her adult life. She has an objective she intends to meet. But, just months before reaching her goal, she witnesses a violent attack outside her apartment that rattles her determination.
However, her carefully controlled life runs completely off the rails when she recognizes the new neighbor coming to the rescue.
As a hacker, Radar Jansen hasn’t always used his expertise in the most respectable ways until he came to work for PASS Security. Normally his time is spent behind a computer, but that doesn’t mean his skills end there.
When—walking his dog one night—he sees a familiar woman rushing into a dangerous situation, his training kicks in.
With Hillary’s safety compromised, the keyboard warrior puts on his real life armor to shield the woman who is fast becoming his only focus.
LOCK & LOAD (PASS Series Book #3) by Freya Barker is a fast-paced romantic suspense and is the third book in the world of PASS Security. This book has characters from the previous books due to the fact that they all work together, but they are easily read as standalones.
Hillary Glenwood is working two jobs; an Emergency Room RN at the local hospital and she also works at the Veterans Homeless Shelter so she can keep to her plan of paying off all her student loans. One night as she is coming home from the hospital, she witnesses and attempts to stop a violent attack. The attackers run off when they see not only Hillary, but a man running towards them.
Radar Jansen is an ex-hacker, now computer expert for PASS Security. While Radar is a genius on a computer, he is not as talented in the romance department. When he sees a familiar woman running towards danger, his training kicks in and he runs to protect and assist.
As the agents of PASS and the FBI work to find the killers of multiple people and work to uncover the motive, they keep discovering Hillary is tangentially connected to several of the dead and Radar begins to fear for her safety. As their relationship grows so does the danger. Will Radar and his friends from PASS be able to catch the killers and protect Hillary?
I enjoyed Hillary and Radar’s romance, but not as much as I usually do a Freya Barker romance. I just never got a feeling of believability with Radar, who kept switching from alpha to beta. I did like Hillary’s feistiness and backbone. The suspense plot of the book was intense, an interesting premise and the killers were surprising. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous.
Overall, a good romantic suspense read, just not my favorite of the series.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for the Release Blitz of THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin. This is the first book in a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and social media links and an author giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and I know you are going to love Wes and Dakota’s story!
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Book Description
I’m a soldier.
A cattle rancher.
A Hayden.
My family’s legacy is spread out in front of me, just waiting for me to seize it. If it weren’t for one outdated rule, I’d be the owner of the Hayden Cattle Company and my aging father could retire.
When Dakota Wright shows up to buy and develop twenty acres of Hayden land, I see more than a pretty mouth and strawberry blonde hair. I see a way around the decree keeping me from getting what I want.
And, as luck would have it, Dakota has a big problem of her own. We strike two deals: one for the land, and a second that’ll make both our problems a distant memory.
It isn’t too long before I realize I’m in over my head. I’ve convinced myself the ends should justify the means, but everything begins to fall apart when my birthright is no longer all that I’m after.
I never thought there’d be anything I could love more than my ranch and my country.
THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin is the start of a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Hayden Cattle Company is the largest spread in Sierra Grande and was established and run by four generations of Hayden men. Beau Hayden and his wife have three grown sons and one teenage daughter.
Wes Hayden is the oldest son and after serving three tours in the Army overseas has returned to take his place on the ranch. But the Wes who went to war is not the same Wes who has returned. Beau has decided to sell of a small portion of land next to the town and he wants Wes to decide between the prospective buyers and their plans for the land.
Dakota Wright has returned home and gone to work in her father’s company Wright Build + Design. He has decided to bid on the Sierra Grande land and development and he tells Dakota that he wants her to design and lead the project.
When Wes and Dakota come together, they not only realize they have already met and more, but they may be able to help each other with the other’s problem. They discover that what drew them together five years ago is still there. What started out as a business deal just may turn into something much more permanent.
I absolutely love Wes and Dakota! Wes has a big loving family, but after a terrible incident in his third deployment, he comes back to the ranch and closes himself off from family and friends while suffering with PTSD. Dakota has a lot of guilt going on in her own life which may be why she can see it in Wes and she can get through to Wes unlike others. The H/h tell the story in alternating chapters and even when it is difficult, they maturely handle problems with communication or action. These two characters work through a lot of heart wrenching emotions, but it is all worth it for the satisfying HEA. The sex scenes are brief and not extremely explicit, but not G-rated either. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed and bring the family and the other small town citizens to life. I am looking forward to reading the siblings’ stories in future books.
I can highly recommend this contemporary cowboy romance!
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Excerpt
She’s late.
Dakota was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago and I feel like a dumbass for being so keenly aware of that. Watching the clock like a whipped schoolboy. Pathetic.
I walk away from the window that faces the road, and go to the kitchen to rinse out my coffee cup and set it on the drying rack. Somewhere in the distance, a car door slams shut.
Before I open the front door, I’m careful to rearrange my features. Cool indifference is what I’m going for, maybe with a side of I forgot you and everything about that night.
I pull open the door just in time to watch Dakota falter on the second step. She regains her footing and keeps going. When she notices me standing in the open door, she stops short, her eyes wide, and she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth.
Jesus… this girl. How am I going to spend a morning with her in my truck? From three feet away I can smell her sweet, mouthwatering scent, the same one I couldn’t define that night at the lake and don’t have a prayer of defining now.
Her jeans are so tight she might as well have them painted on, and they’re tucked into cowboy boots. I draw in a shaky breath, but it doesn’t quite fill my lungs.
“You’re late,” I say, and it sounds angry even though I don’t mean it to be. I don’t like the way she puts me off-kilter.
“My apologies,” she says tartly, in a way that conveys she isn’t sorry in the least.
A throat clears and we both follow the noise with our eyes. Gramps sits in a chair, watching us. I must not have noticed him when I was looking out the window. I was too busy watching for Dakota.
He stares at me, waiting for me to introduce him. “Dakota, this is Leroy Hayden, my grandpa. Gramps, this is Dakota.”
Dakota walks over and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she tells him, smiling down at him.
I can already tell he is dazzled by her. “You can just call me Gramps. Are you a friend of Wes’s?” The excitement in his voice at me possibly having a friend is mortifying.
“Uh, no.” Dakota shakes her head. “I’m here on business.”
Gramps turns a confused look to me. “We need to get going, Gramps, but Dad is inside. He can explain the business that Dakota is here for.” To Dakota, I say, “Ready?”
“It was nice to meet you, Gramps.” She winks at him and turns, going back down the steps.
For a moment I’m frozen, struck dumb by the sway of her hips and remembering the night she was swinging them on the dance floor.
I hurry after her. “This way,” I tell her, chucking my chin sideways toward the side of the house where I park my truck.
She keeps three feet between us as we walk, and I can feel her silent questions coming at me through the separation.
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About the Author
Jennifer Millikin is a contemporary romance and women’s fiction author. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, two children, and Liberty, her Lab who thinks she’s human. Jennifer craves vegetables and refuses to apologize for it, can probably beat you in Spot It, and believes chips and salsa should be a food group.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Buoni Amici Press Release Blitz for THE RED DOOR (A Love in Limestone Novella) by Emery Jacobs.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway and enjoy!
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Book Description
There’s a bar on the outskirts of Limestone, Louisiana that serves an unusual type of whiskey. Some call it magic. Others claim it’s a scam. Yet rumors of its mystical properties keep people coming in from far and wide.
Luck.
Wealth.
Happiness.
Health.
These wonders can be found by those who believe… and take a shot.
Ten o’clock in the morning, New Year’s Day. Two down-on-their-luck strangers enter The Red Door Bar. Both are searching for a miracle. What they find when they reach the bottom of that glass will eventually change their lives forever.
THE RED DOOR (A Love in Limestone Novella) by Emery Jacobs is a perfect little contemporary romance novella that tugged at my heart and left me with a smile on my face.
The Red Door Bar is on the outskirts of Limestone, Louisiana and they serve an unusual whiskey. Some believe it is magical while others believe it is a scam, but people come from far and wide to take a shot.
At ten o’clock in the morning on New Years Day, Evie walks into The Red Door Bar with her last twenty dollars and finds one other patron. Bennett is in the bar to be alone and wants nothing to do with the beautiful chatterbox. Even though both are at a low point in their lives, they agree to meet for a date once again on the next New Years Day.
Fate has the two running into each other over the next year when they need each other the most. Will they ever get the timing just right for both of them?
I read this wonderful romantic novella all in one sitting and was sorry to have it end. Ms. Jacobs manages to fill this short story with a realistic couple who have to get through so much to obtain their HEA. Evie and Bennett have me cheering for them from page one and the writing has me feeling as though they could walk right off the page.
I highly recommend this novella!
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Author Bio
Emery grew up in Southern Arkansas and has lived most of her adult life in Northern Louisiana. She spends her days working as a Nurse Practitioner in rural health and her nights reading, writing, and occasionally sleeping.
She loves real life romance…lots of angst and heartbreak, but always a happy ending.
Today is my turn on this Blackthorn Book Tour for this exceptional anthology. I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NOTHING GOOD HAPPENSAFTER MIDNIGHT: A Suspense Magazine Anthology by Jeffrey Deaver et al.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, a section about Jeffrey Deaver and Suspense Magazine. This is the best anthology I have read this year. Enjoy!
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Book Description
The sun sets. The moon takes its place, illuminating the most evil corners of the planet. What twisted fear dwells in that blackness? What legends attach to those of sound mind and make them go crazy in the bright light of day? Only Suspense Magazine knows…
Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, Suspense Magazine offers up a nail-biting anthology titled: “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight.” This thrilling collection consists of thirteen original short stories representing the genres of suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more.
Readers’ favorites come together to explore the mystery of midnight. The ‘best of the best’ presenting these memorable tales, include: Joseph Badal, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Shannon Kirk, Jon Land, John Lescroart, D. P. Lyle, Kevin O’Brien, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Take their hands…walk into their worlds…but be prepared to leave the light on when you’re through. After all, this incredible gathering of authors, who will delight fans of all genres, not only utilized their award-winning imaginations to answer that age-old question of why “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight”—they also made sure to pen stories that will leave you…speechless.
Nothing Good Happens After Midnight: A Suspense Magazine Anthology
Genre: Mystery, suspense, thriller, horror
Print length: 338 pages
Suitable for young adults: This is an adult collection but suitable for age 16+
Trigger warnings: No
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT: A Suspense Magazine Anthology by Jeffrey Deaver, et al. is a new suspense, thriller, mystery anthology and is my favorite anthology of this year. The thirteen short stories pull the reader in and this anthology has some of my favorite authors contributing.
The theme of these thirteen short stories is that – nothing good happens after midnight. I usually only like about a third to a half of most anthologies I read, but I enjoyed all these stories, some more than others, but all captured my attention to keep me reading and I did not skip any of them.
This is an exceptional anthology because there is something for everyone who loves short stories, loves suspense, thrillers, mysteries and a small amount of horror and wants a short read from their favorite author or are looking for a new author to follow.
I highly recommend this anthology!
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Authors in Anthology
Jeffery Deaver , Linwood Barclay , Rhys Bowen , Heather Graham , Alan Jacobson , Paul Kemprecos , Jon Land, John Lescroart , Kevin O’Brien , Hank Phillippi Ryan , D.P. Lyle, Joseph Badal, Shannon Kirk
About Jeffrey Deaver
JEFFERY DEAVER is an international number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. He has served two terms as president of Mystery Writers of America. The author of forty-three novels, three collections of short stories and a nonfiction law book, and a lyricist of a country-western album, he’s received or been shortlisted for dozens of awards. His THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND was named Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers association, and his Lincoln Rhyme thriller THE BROKEN WINDOW and a stand-alone, EDGE, were also nominated for that prize. THE GARDEN OF BEASTS won the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers Association in England. He’s been nominated for eight Edgar Awards. Deaver has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, the Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Raymond Chandler Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy. His book A MAIDEN’S GRAVE was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and his novel THE BONE COLLECTOR was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Lifetime aired an adaptation of his THE DEVIL’S TEARDROP. NBC television is airing the popular prime time series, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. His latest novel is THE GOODBYE MAN, a Colter Shaw thriller.
About Suspense Magazine
Suspense Magazine was started in 2007, with the mission that every author should get a voice. It strives to bring the very best coverage in the genre, by publishing reviews, articles on writing, interviews, short stories, excerpts and much more. It expanded in 2009 to include Suspense Radio, a podcast that interviews such authors as Dean Koontz, Laurell K. Hamilton, David Balducci and many more. The podcast is available on Spotify, ITunes, Amazon Music and several other podcast sites. The operation was expanded again in 2010 with Suspense Publishing which has published over one hundred books. Suspense publishing books have won three Tony Hillerman Awards, Shamus nominee, ITW Thriller Nominees and thousands of books have been sold.
