Lethal Game: #2 Biological Response Team Series by Julie Rowe

Title: Lethal Game
Book 2: Biological Response Team Series
Author: Julie Rowe
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: October 12, 2015
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Book Two of Biological Response Team Series
As the nation’s youngest virologist and hematologist, Captain Sophia Perry has always been one step ahead of her peers. But there’s one thing she can’t beat—cancer. She wants to make a difference in the time she has left, so when she’s sent to investigate a breakout at a Syrian refugee camp, she goes, saying nothing of her diagnosis. But saving the masses isn’t easy when the man tasked to protect her is so irresistible.
Communications Sergeant Connor Button is back on active duty after a deadly explosion, but he doesn’t feel whole again until he meets Sophia. Assigned to keep her safe, he’s prepared to die for her, but for the first time in months he truly wants to live—if only she wasn’t so determined to put them both in danger.
With a secret to keep and nothing to lose, Sophia is determined to find the source of the breakout at any cost. Violent attacks on the camp convince her that someone wants her to pay dearly. But as Sophia’s health deteriorates, Connor must find a way to help her defeat her enemies before her body defeats her.

Book Excerpt:

Security is mostly a superstition ~ Helen Keller

It had taken him three airplanes and over twenty-six hours to travel more than seven thousand miles, and now he was going to have to kill someone.

Ten feet from his room in the Navy hotel at the American Naval base in Bahrain.

All Special Forces Communications Sergeant Connor Button wanted was to find a bed and crash for a few hours.

What he did not need was witnessing some idiot striking out with a hot blonde and not taking it well.

She’d just removed his hand from her waist.

The man put it on her shoulder and tried to bring her closer. “Aw, come on, sweetheart.”

She slid away, her voice clear across the short distance. “No.”

Okay, dude, time to retreat. Only, the guy didn’t. He grabbed her by the back of the neck, hard enough to make her gasp in pain, and leaned down, his mouth aimed for hers.

She slapped the moron, but he didn’t get that hint either, just grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back.

Con had to make himself stand still for a second. One second, so he could throttle back the instinct to beat the stupid fuck to death.

Fine. His jaw flexed. He wouldn’t kill the asshole, but he could hurt him real bad.

Con dropped his duffel on the floor and stomped toward the woman and the moron whose arm he was about to break.

Into several pieces.

Small ones.

The stomping got the moron’s attention. He glanced up, saw Con coming and his eyes went wide. He let go of the woman so fast she wobbled off balance and fell to the floor. Con stopped to help her while the moron ran like a track star down the hall and around a corner.

Good call, asshole.

Con bent down and offered his hand to the woman. “Are you okay?”

Her head jerked up and she stared at him with eyes that didn’t miss a thing. She scooted away, leaving his hand hanging in the air, then stood. Her shoulders went back and her chin rose.

He almost smiled. She was so not interested in another man getting all up in her business. He’d make sure she was all right, then he’d back off.

“Ma’am, did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she said, retreating a step.

Blue-green eyes stood out in a face framed by white-blond hair hanging in a sheet down to the middle of her back. She was also stacked, though she wasn’t showing it off. She was following military clothing requirements, wearing long pants and a collared shirt one size too big, buttoned up to her neck. An asshole had just tried to sexually assault her, but Con would bet a year’s pay that had he not come along, the moron would have had his hands full with a pissed-off female trying to smash his balls into paste.

He glanced down.

Her mouth was pressed into a thin angry line, but her hands were shaking.

For the first time in months something other than anger or despair slammed into him.

He knew just how she felt. Hyped up on adrenaline and looking for a target.

It surprised him so much he opened his mouth to make some inane comment or other to show her he was no threat, but she raised a hand to stop him.

She spoke a quick, firm “Thank you.” And then she was gone, inside the room closest to her. The click of the lock being engaged echoed down the hall.

He blinked at the empty hallway. He wasn’t sure she was okay, but those shaking hands and that locked door sent a pretty clear signal that she didn’t want another man anywhere near her.

Sometimes other people just made things worse.

He sighed, strode back to his bag, checked his room number again and discovered he was next door to the blonde.

At least he wouldn’t have to go far if Moron came back.

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Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!”.
In addition to writing contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has short stories in Fool’s Gold, the Mammoth Book of ER Romance, Timeless Keepsakes and Timeless Escapes anthologies. Her book SAVING THE RIFLEMAN (book #1 WAR GIRLS) won the novella category of the 2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. AIDING THE ENEMY (book #3 WAR GIRLS) won the novella category of the 2014 Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Romantic Times Magazine, Today’s Parent, and Canadian Living.
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Soulshifter by Barbara Pietron

Title: Soulshifter
Author: Barbara Pietron
Publisher: Scribe Publishing Company
Publication Date: November 24, 2015
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Sixteen-year-old Jack Ironwood knew exactly what he wanted. Until he got it. Jack was content to stay unnoticed by pretty and popular track star, Natalie Segetich, until her best friend Emma disappears. Natalie swears something took Emma, and though most people write Natalie off as traumatized and confused, Jack is a soulshifter and he knows the human-stealing Enuuki—hell's messengers—are real. As a soulshifter, Jack can cross into the underworld so he sees Emma's rescue as an opportunity to prove himself a valuable member of his transcendental sect—and a way to secure a future otherwise out of his reach. Although he needs Natalie's help to prepare for the mission, Jack intends to go to the underworld alone. But as a viable plan takes shape, it's clear the best chance of success means Natalie must accompany him. On the eve of the quest, when Jack is promised the hand of a respected elder's daughter—a dream come true—he realizes he's no longer sure what he wants. But it's too late to back out, not with the sect and Natalie counting on him. Pursued by the dark lord's henchmen and ghastly mutant creatures, Jack and Natalie struggle to come out ahead in a battle and barter for souls. In the end, Jack will have to decide his own fate, because nothing short of a deal with the devil will get all three of them out of hell alive.

Book Excerpt:

Chapter 1

Revelations from the Dark Realm

Feedback shrieked from the electric guitar amp, annihilating the harmonious blend of drums, bass guitar and electric piano. Jack winced as he fumbled for the volume knob on his guitar, pretending he didn’t see Tommy, the lead singer, shoot him a furious glare. Head down, Jack concentrated on the next few chord progressions, until Tommy launched into his signature vocal screaming. Then Jack stole a glance to his left and caught the eye of his best friend, Wes, who skillfully delivered the pulse of the track on his bass guitar. Wes lifted his eyebrows and Jack answered with a slight shrug and an apologetic frown.

It was one thing if Jack screwed up this opportunity for himself, but Wes had talked the band into giving Jack a chance this summer when they'd lost their lead guitarist to college. Jack didn't want to embarrass Wes, or give Tommy a reason to give his friend a hard time. The singer hadn't wanted Wes in the band either, but when the other members heard Wes play and realized he was a wizard on the bass guitar, Tommy had been out-voted. It had taken two years for Wes to earn the lead singer's grudging respect and Jack hated to mess that up.

They finished the set and Jack ducked out of his guitar strap, leaning the instrument against the cinderblock wall of Fletch's—the drummer's—basement. He ran both hands through his thick curls, for the first time thankful that his mom had insisted he get a haircut before school started. Shoulder-length for most of the summer, his dark brown mane was now tamed to a mass of loose curls that ended at the base of his jaw—not as rock and roll, but certainly cooler.

He turned and nearly collided with Tommy. "What's up with the feedback, Ironwood? We've got a gig in two days!"

"Sorry, man." Jack shook his head. He noticed John, the keyboardist, give him and Tommy a wide berth as he beat a hasty retreat. "Just having an off day. I'm low on sleep."

"Well you better get it together by Monday. A lot of people come out to the park on Labor Day, and we don't need you making the rest of us look like amateurs." He spun on his heel and stomped up the steps before Jack could reply.

Fletch offered Jack a sports drink. "You've been playing good all summer. Just don't choke when you get on stage." He laughed, but his eyes were serious.

"Thanks." Jack took the plastic bottle and cracked the lid open. "I'll be fine. I promise." He took a long drink, letting the slightly salty, citrusy liquid soothe his dry tongue and throat before bending to put his guitar into its case.

An intermittent chink of metal on metal sounded from the base of the stairwell. "Ready?"

Jack glanced up to see Wes tossing a bundle of keys into the air and then catching them. "Yep." He noticed that Wes had decided to leave his guitar at Fletch's. They were going to rehearse again tomorrow, but Jack felt like he ought to go home and get in some extra practice. He followed his friend out to the minivan, which smelled like the burgers and fries they'd eaten on the way to rehearsal, and loaded his gear into the back.

After Jack plopped into the passenger seat and closed the door, Wes spoke up. "Dude." He drew out the solitary word and added a sigh, conveying both disappointment and sympathy.

"I know," Jack said quickly. "I'm not a hundred percent today. Yesterday was my end-of-summer spirit-walk."

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After years in the corporate world, Barbara Pietron found herself with a second chance to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her lifetime love of books and the written word returned one answer: writer. Drawing from her technical writing experience, she began by writing non-fiction magazine pieces and achieved both regional and national publication before trying her hand at her true passion, fiction. In addition to Soulshifter, Barbara is also the author of Thunderstone, Book One of the Legacy in Legend series and a prequel to Thunderstone, Heart of Ice, is available in e-book format. Book Two of the Legacy in Legend series is slated for fall of 2016. You can visit Barbara's website, facebook, instagram
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Always With You by Andrea Hurst

Title: Always With You
Author: Andrea Hurst
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: February 6, 2014

"Always With You is the bittersweet and poignant love story of a woman trapped between temptation and the ties that bind."
~Tracey Garvis Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island and Covet.

"Hurst captivates from page one, and keeps you hooked until the very last word, in this entrancing story of the power of love and all its consequences.”
~Melissa Foster -New York Times & USA Today bestselling & award-winning author.

"Warm-hearted, wise, touchingly written, and exploring the depths of human emotions. This book about forbidden love is not to be missed."
~Bharti Kirchner, Author of five novels including Darjeeling and Tulip Season.

1977 is a glorious time to be alive in the beautiful wine country of Northern California, and Cathy has everything she thought she wanted - from a thriving health food café to loyal friends.
Since the devastating failure of her short-lived marriage, Cathy has buried herself in her work and kept men at arm’s length. But when an old high school friend, Pam, brings her family for a short stay, Cathy’s stone walls begin to crumble when she meets Jamie. Jamie, whose compassion and warmth slowly break down her defenses. Jamie, whose devotion to his four-year-old daughter melts Cathy's heart and makes her desperate for a family of her own. Jamie… who is married to Pam.
A profound love that transcends time and place is impossible to resist. But is love more important than friendship? Are loyalty and fidelity an anchor or a chain? In the end, it’s all about choices – tough ones that can break hearts. Now Cathy must make the most difficult choice of her life.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
Always With You is reminiscent of the exploration of conscience found in Bridges of Madison County, and the passionate and often tear-jerking love stories of Nicholas Sparks. New York Times bestselling author of On the Island , Tracey Garvis Graves, said, “Always With You is the bittersweet and poignant love story of a woman trapped between temptation and the ties that bind.”
In Always With You, Cathy has buried herself in her work and kept men at arm’s length since the devastating failure of her short-lived marriage. But when an old high school friend, Pam, brings her family for a short stay, Cathy’s stone walls begin to crumble when she meets Jamie. Jamie, whose compassion and warmth slowly break down her defenses. Jamie, whose devotion to his four-year-old daughter melts Cathy's heart and makes her desperate for a family of her own. Jamie… who is married to Pam.
A profound love that transcends time and place is impossible to resist. But is love more important than friendship? Are loyalty and fidelity an anchor or a chain? In the end, it’s all about choices – tough ones that can break hearts. Now Cathy must delve into the deepest places of her heart and ultimately decide the future for them all. “Only dangling threads of Cathy’s pride remained. Love took prisoners no matter what the circumstances; it broke open the heart with no regard for consequences.”

What inspired you to write it?
The idea came to me in a dream—a very powerful dream that resonated with me so deeply that I had to write this story. The story flowed out of me in just a matter of months. I sat down and started writing in first person, present tense, which I’ve never done before. I could basically hear Cathy’s voice telling me the story. And I really reacted to it as if I was hearing it, because I found myself very sad in parts of the book. Just thinking about the book today, it’s still a very emotional experience.

How did you come up with the idea for the cover?
I came up with the idea for the cover from one of the key scenes in the novel. The scene is where Jamie and Cathy explore the Napa/Sonoma valley. They end up at the Russian River for the day, where they first start to really fall in love with each other. I wanted to feature the Russian River on the cover because of this integral scene.

If it was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
The actor I would want playing Jamie is Liam Hemsworth and I would cast Bella Thorne as Cathy.

What is it about this genre that appeals to you so much?
Women’s fiction focuses on women and their day to day struggles. It focuses on women finding their passion and gaining confidence in their abilities. It’s an empowering genre that I enjoy. Love stories are very compelling to me and this book also has strong romantic elements. With romance, I love merging two lives together and focusing on how they the face life’s challenges. What is it that makes someone fall in love with someone else? That question is always fun to try to answer and show to my readers.

What made you want to become an author?
I began writing when I was in college, where I majored in Expressive Arts. For my thesis, I wrote a cookbook called Everybody’s Natural Food Cookbook. While it would be years later till I started writing novels, this was my first experience with writing a book.
The idea that made me first want to write a novel was one I got while I was at the Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast on Whidbey Island with a good friend. Every spare moment she got, she was reading entries in their guestbook. Finally, I asked her what was so fascinating, and she said that she loved hearing about other people’s lives, experiences, loves, and adventures. In that moment, the story for The Guestbook, my first novel, just took hold of me and never let go.

How do you come up with character names?
Sometimes for character names I use names from people in my life, but for main character names they often come to me already named. Often I research names of the time period and their meanings as well.

Name one of your all-time favorite books?
One of my favorite books is The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. This was a beautifully written book that had multiple threads that came together to create a shocking plot. It was well crafted.

Who, or what, inspires you?
One writer I am inspired by is Catherine Ryan Hyde who wrote the bestseller Pay it Forward and many other amazing novels. We don’t necessarily write in the same style, but she still inspires me to write. Reading Nora Roberts who creates unforgettable characters helped me to understand the genre. Beautiful settings and escaping somewhere to write inspire me as well.

Where is your favourite place to write?Almost every Wednesday, I go down the Coupeville Pier and join a group of writers at a coffee house that overlooks Penn Cove. We call ourselves Just Write. Writing can be very isolating, and I find the company of other writers to be very supportive. Looking out the windows at the coffee house, I am surrounded by water and this is where I do some of my best writing.

What is your favorite movie that was based on a book?
I love Bridges of Madison County. It is a beautiful love story that rips at the heart. It is what helped inspire me to write Always With You.

Name two of your favorite authors.
Catherine Ryan Hyde and Liane Moriarty

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
Jane Austen. I would love to hear about her life and career and challenges.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I have two dachshunds. One is a long-haired standard named Basil and the other is a rescue dog named Ferdie. Ferdie is a black and tan and hates to leave my side for even a minute.

Tell us an interesting fact about where you live.
I live on a beautiful island similar to Madrona Island, the island from The Guestbook, my first novel. Coupeville, the town I live in, has a farmer’s market from April through October and this is a favorite event of mine, where I can mingle with people and find great, fresh produce.

What are your (writing) plans for the future?
My next book is the second Madrona Island Trilogy, Tea and Comfort. This book features Kyla Grant, who owns a tea and herb shop called Tea and Comfort. Kyla was once engaged to a man, Luke, who just moved to Madrona Island. Now she must fight the attraction still simmering between them, even as Luke pushes her to tell him why she broke their engagement. Look for this beautiful romance, which should come out in March.

Tell us one thing that's on your bucket list.
I want to go to Europe and set a book series there. My initial plot idea is an American woman goes to Italy and see the ancient architecture and eat great Italian food. She falls in love with an Italian chef who is one of three brothers. They end up opening a restaurant in America together. I also would love to visit Greece, which is the country of my ancestors and is a place close to my heart.

Favorite myth / fairytale?
Beauty and the Beast

Who/What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I always wanted to be a writer and a teacher, so it is a dream come true to have success with my novels.

When not visiting local farmer's markets or indulging her love for chocolate, Andrea Hurst is an author and literary agent. Her passion for books drives her to find and write stories that take readers on a journey to another place and leave them with an unforgettable impression. She is a developmental editor for publishers and authors, an instructor in creative writing at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, and a webinar presenter for Writers Digest. She lives with her dachshunds in the Pacific Northwest, on an island much like the fictional Madrona, with all of its natural beauty and small town charm.
Her published books include Always With You, The Guestbook, The Lasy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment and Everybody's Natural Food Cookbook, and she co-authored A Book of Miracles.
To learn more about Andrea and her books, visit www.AndreaHurst-author.com.
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The Soul of the Sun by Genevieve Crownson

 

Title: The Soul of the Sun
Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult
Author: Genevieve Crownson
Publisher: Genevieve Crownson
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback; Kindle
Purchase at AMAZON

“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.”

Since the days of ancient Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth.
Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes…
Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time.
If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost.
Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late?
Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense.
Will it be enough to stop the Watcher?

Excerpt:
The rain fell in sheets around me, it was gloomy and depressing, but I didn’t feel a drop. I was completely encased in light; I was a moving, breathing, flaming yellow orb that no one could penetrate. I watched in amazement as my broken leg instantly healed and the torn pajama fabric cinched itself back together. My jaw pain ceased. I closed my hands over the amulet, now humming with intensity. In a split second, I was vibrating with the same power. The wind picked up and the sky loomed black. The moon lay dark behind an inky sky and somehow strange chanting words flowed out of me. Lava hot and fraught with meaning, they rose to a fever pitch. Every word was a part of me, part of my being. Words from another time, Tanga’s time, slipped from my lips as though it were my native tongue. It was the inscription on the amulet, of that much I was sure.
I stretched my glowing hands out to Thomas.
“I call on you Lady Isis.
Protect Me.
For I am the one, the Soul of the Sun.
I plead with you and your son Horus to give refuge.
Patroness of Nature and Magic bring all my power and your power together to glorify what is right and true in this world.
Honor your name and those we safeguard from harm. Let time be taken from no man.
Amen.”
He was laughing at me.
“You stupid little twit, did you honestly think that would work? You think that I can’t take what’s mine?”
As he spoke, I chanted the same words, repeating them over and over. I saw fear cross his face just for a moment when he realized I was using the amulet’s power. A brilliant beam of light continued to radiate from my core. It was strange, the light now shone gold instead of blue. It must have changed when it sealed together. I continued to watch and to my astonishment, he became transparent and, with a puff of smoke, evaporated into the heavens. I could hear his heart-rending screams echoing through the ocean’s storm. Drained completely of energy, I crumpled, exhausted, onto the sand.

Genevieve Crownson graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelors of Science degree. A love of writing led her to pen her debut novel, The Soul of the Sun. This is book one in her highly anticipated trilogy, The Argos Dynasty. She currently lives in beautiful Charleston, SC with her family and beloved four-legged friends.

You can find her at www.genevievecrownson.com.

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