#mileswatson – Avonna Loves Genres

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER: A Sinner’s Cross Novel by Miles Watson on the Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

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

On the eve of what will be known as The Battle of the Bulge, the survivors of Sinner’s Cross are scattered all over Europe. Halleck, the tough Texan who drives men like cattle, finds himself surrounded in the snow-blanketed forests of the Eifel Mountains riding herd on greenhorn soldiers; Breese, the phony hero with a chip on his shoulder the size of Rushmore, embarks on a bloody mission of redemption behind enemy lines; Cramm, the one-eyed, one-armed German staff officer, tries to balance duty against his lust for vengeance against those who crippled him. Three men separated by war will once again converge…in The Very Dead of Winter.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61406162-the-very-dead-of-winter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=8t0N7LlpRS&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER: A Sinner’s Cross Novel by Miles Watson is a historical fiction book I was very excited to be able to read for this blog tour. This is the second Sinner’s Cross book and while it is a continuation of the three main soldier protagonists lives from the first book, Sinner’s Cross, this book is easily read as a standalone. I recommend them both highly!

In this book, three survivors of the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest are converging in the Ardennes Forest in the dead of winter for what will be known as the Battle of the Bulge. Sgt. Halleck is battle-hardened and once again finds himself leading men into battle with the enemy behind every tree, Lt. Breeze gets sent back to the front and finds himself battling the Nazis looking for redemption, and Cramm, a German staff officer, who will fight to the death but no longer believes in Hitler and his fanatics.

The writer’s depiction of this horrific battle and the three diverse paths the main characters are on felt so realistic. Even knowing the outcome of this historical battle, I kept turning the pages because I was so invested after following these characters in two books. The moral questions about war and loss of life are ever present, but unlike the feeling of senseless loss of life in the first book and this was the largest and bloodiest battle during WWII, this battle was a turning point in the war for the Allies and the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

I highly recommend this historical fiction novel and I believe both books in the Sinner’s Cross series are exceptional!

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About the Author

Miles Watson is one of the most successful independent writers of his generation. He holds undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and History and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction, and served in law enforcement for nearly ten years before moving to Los Angeles, where he has worked on over 200 episodes of television and half a dozen feature films. But his first and last passion is writing. His various works have won the following:

CAGE LIFE – Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Runner Up (2016): Zealot Script Magazine “Book of the Year” (2017); Best Indie Book Award – Mystery & Suspense (2018)

KNUCKLE DOWN – Writer’s Digest S.P.B.A. Honorable Mention (2019); Best Indie Book Award – Suspense (2019)

DEVILS YOU KNOW – Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing Finalist (2019)

THE NUMBERS GAME – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2019)

NOSFERATU – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2020)

SINNER’S CROSS – Best Indie Book Award – Historical Fiction – (2019); Book Excellence Award – Action (2020); Literary Titan Book Award – Gold Medal (2020); Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards – Finalist (2020); Readers Favorite Five Stars (2021)

THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER – Literary Titan Book Award – Gold Medal (2022); Pinnacle Book Achievement Award (2022); Book Excellence Award Finalist (2023)

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mileswatsonauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miles.watson1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMilesWatson

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miles-watson

Hi, everyone!

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.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48591252-sinner-s-cross

Sinner’s Cross: A Novel of the Second World War

Author: Miles Watson

Genre: War Fiction
Print length: 284 pages
Suitable for young adults? No
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:

CAGE LIFE