Great Summer Reads: Awaken, Shadows of a Forgotten Past by Marcia Maidana

Marcia was born and raised in Argentina during the military regime which ended with the loss of many young lives in the invasion of the Falkland Islands. Amidst the devastating effects of military government and war, reading and writing became a passion which expanded and transported her imagination with the possibility of a brighter future.

At the age of eighteen, she moved to the United States, where she studied English and started her own family. She soon discovered that the love she has for her husband and children would naturally unfold towards her European roots, leading her to become a genealogist and family historian. A decade of searching, compiling, and learning the stories of thousands of people has instilled in her a profound gratitude for the strong ties that can be achieved in families through personal sacrifice.

So it is that through fiction, Awaken explores and exposes the characteristics of true love and loyalty in times of fear, war, and finally, death. But perhaps the most captivating element in the story is the battle within the souls of the main characters as they search to know who they really are and how they are connected.

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Could there exist a love powerful enough to overcome the grave?

Hard times during the Great Depression force nineteen-year-old Florence to leave her service at the monastery and seek employment. Fate brings her to work for a wealthy recluse, General Alexander Sterling. Despite many daunting events and a meddling housekeeper with dark secrets of her own, Florence and the General find themselves falling deeply in love.

What she doesn’t know is that General Sterling has left his native country escaping a painful past, one he yearns to forget. Destiny won’t allow it as he meets Florence, whose resemblance to his deceased wife is unbearable. Could Florence actually be the same woman who still owns his heart and haunts his dreams?

When their blossoming romance is shattered by an explosive truth, a mysterious stranger gives her an opportunity to go back in time to unlock the secret to her existence. Florence must strive to return to the present time to save their relationship from the imminent danger that awaits them.

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Snippet:

“Alex, I wish I could stay. But my body is already gone. My life is slipping away. How I ache at what has been stolen from us. To feel your sweet embrace, to share our tears and laughter, our accomplishments and disappointments, to spend our days out in the sun playing together. All of that, along with bearing children, I can’t offer you anymore. I pray in time, you’ll find someone else who will fulfill your needs, and you’ll love and be happy again. I want that for you. But I also want you to know I will always love you, and I will always be thankful to have known your love.” 

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Official Book Tour: Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies by Evy Journey

Gina’s grandfather was a French chef whose life was cut short by a robber’s bullet. The only lasting legacy he could leave his family was his passion and talent for cooking.

Growing up poor but with a mother who is a gifted cook. Gina learns cooking a great meal is an act of love. An art that sustains and enhances life.

A world of new challenges, new friends, and new loves opens up for her when she’s chosen to cook for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

But danger lurks where one never expects it.

Can her passion for cooking help Gina survive and thrive in this world of privilege, pleasure and menace?

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Evy Journey, writer, wannabe artist, and flâneuse (feminine of flâneur), wishes she lives in Paris where people have perfected the art of aimless roaming. Armed with a Ph.D., she used to research and help develop mental health programs.

She's a writer because beautiful prose seduces her and existential angst continues to plague her despite such preoccupations having gone out of fashion. She takes occasional refuge by invoking the spirit of Jane Austen to spin tales of love, loss, and finding one’s way—stories into which she weaves mystery or intrigue.

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The story Ivy Journey has created is an interesting bit of intrigue mixed with romance and a very confused protagonist. Gina is an aspiring chef who's taken on a position at a fancy, well-to-do restaurant in California. While working there, she attracts the attention of wealthy Leon Barrett, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He instantly decides he's in love with her, dumping her childhood friend practically on the spot. But despite his advances, she resists giving in to the temptation of finding out what it would be like to live the finer life.
Meanwhile, devastated, her now former best childhood friend goes into a jealous  fit of insanity and stabs her, which leads Gina to find Brent, a lieutenant with the police department sent to investigate the incident. Gina doesn't want to condemn her friend and fights for her. During the legal battle, she finally accepts Leon's offer of giving themselves a chance at a relationship, only it goes a lot farther than she thought it would. There's only one problem, he's not the only one she's developed feelings for.Mixed in a sea of jealousy and intrigue, Gina may not make it out of this alive.

Ms. Journey has created an interesting story with a heroine full of heart, even if she is misguided. The pacing of the story is fantastic and the story compelling. There is a bit more "pink" in some of the scenes than I care for, but, overall, it's not as explicit as some things I've read. If you like completely clean romances, this is not for you as there is a bit more than a suggested 'behind closed doors" incident or two.

Overall, I'm giving it four out of vie stars.

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Christmas Countdown Blitz Day Two: The Unknown Elf by Karlie Lucas

Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally

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Marie never expected to wake up in North Pole City, let alone become Santa’s Emergency Replacement. It was a job she never wanted but couldn’t turn down, thanks to Clarence, Santa’s right hand man. Now, Marie has to work with Clarence, who believes she is some kind of criminal who will cause the destruction of everything he holds dear. 

Trying to prove that he’s wrong, Marie keeps making mistakes that push them even further apart. It doesn’t help that she has a past she’d rather keep hidden. However, trying to keep her past where it should belong isn’t easy. 

Just when Marie starts to feel like things are coming together, a madman with a bone to pick, and Christmas to ruin, threatens the whole of the North Pole Organization. Marie must rely on Clarence and her new friends to help her face her past before Christmas is gone forever. But does she have the courage to truly be herself when it could mean losing everything?

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Snippet: 

The bullet struck just left of her chest, near the shoulder blade. She lost balance, twisting from the force. With eyes wide open in shock, she stared at the man who had taken everything away, her freedom, her family, and now, her life. Her feet continued to twist as her head whipped around, sending her over the roof's edge as thunder rumbled through the air. A scream of agony was forced through frozen lips, and then was silenced as the rain came pouring down. 

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Great Summer Reads Countdown Day Ten: Rising Tide Dark Innocence by Claudette Melanson

Claudette Melanson writes dark fantasy in Kitchener, Ontario with four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English, BS in English Education and an MA in Literature. Harboring a deep admiration of vampires since the age of five left her with the desire to eventually become one, and now fuels the creation of her favorite paranormal characters. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many stories playing out inside her head.

In her very scant spare time, she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories...along with other genres of great fiction, as well as riding every roller coaster she encounters in both her hometown and away at signings. An advocate for good health and ketogenic eating, her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew-flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include a cabin boasting a roaring fire, isolated inside a snow-filled wood in the Yukon—the perfect writing spot—and the completion of dozens of future novels and stories. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic and loving bunmom, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.

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When a cruel prank nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue. Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron doesn’t seem to want to stay away, but Maura is reluctant to get too close, since her mother has announced she’s moving the two of them to Vancouver…nearly 3,000 miles away from their hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania.

If life wasn’t already challenging enough, Maura begins to experience bizarre, physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, compelling Maura to fear for her own life. Vicious nightmares, blood cravings, failing health and the heart-shattering loss of Ron—as well as the discovery of a tangled web of her own mother's lies—become obstacles in Maura's desperate quest for the unfathomable truth she was never prepared to uncover.

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Snippet:

A dream sequence

My vision was blurred, and the light in the room was too intensely bright. The same headache I’d been plagued with that afternoon pulsated through my skull. I made every effort to shut it all out and focus on that face. The long dark hair told me it was Ron before I could fully make out his features in the haziness that was my sight. When my vision sharpened, he smiled at me, but the softness in his eyes held the hard edge of worry.

“How are you feeling?” He kept his voice barely above a whisper, which meant he knew how sensitive my hearing was. Maybe he knew what was wrong with me. I was hurting all over…my throat burned like a bonfire, and the rest of me was so cold, I was sure they must be transfusing me with ice water.

I tried to speak to him, to demand a diagnosis, but I was too weak to utter a single word. Caelyn appeared then, cooing over me protectively and imploring me to save my strength and keep quiet.

My eyes were drawn to a shape in the doorway of my hospital room. There was someone there, a tall, hulking human filling up the space. He—it had to be a man given the size—was shrouded in darkness. I could make out no discerning features whatsoever. A nurse pushed past him, only because he moved to allow it. Funny, even when she was right behind him, I could make out every detail about her. It was as if all the darkness in the room were reserved, solely, for this unknown stranger.

The nurse brought in a blood bag. Although I couldn’t remember any accident or see any bandaged wound, my brain tried to ferret out a reason for a blood transfusion while she was hooking up the bag.

While watching her, my eyes switched focus, glancing over at the liquid in the bag. Deep, dark crimson. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My mouth was like dry desert sand, my throat the merciless sun burning over that desert at high noon.

A rattling gasp tore up through my chest, and my body convulsed. I was sure I was dying. My blood must’ve had some horrible disease tainting it, and the transfusion’s purpose was to dilute the infection.

Ron put his hand on my chest to hold me down. He seemed troubled, but other than that, much too calm for the gravity of the situation. “Relax,” he said to me with that same softness to his voice, “you just need blood, Maura.”

He reached out and nodded to the nurse. She stopped what she was doing and took the bag down, placing it in Ron’s hand. He tore open the bottom, in a practiced manner, and held it to my lips.

“Drink, Maura. It’ll help you faster this way.”

As shocked as I was by this turn of events, I complied. In all my waking hours, nothing had ever tasted better. And even though I knew what was happening was not what was supposed to be happening, in my dream I tore the bag from his grasp so I could gulp its contents down faster.

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Blog Tour: Code Name Scorpion by Donna Gustainis Fuller

When Trevor Willis offers Dani Carpenter her dream job as director of a new camp for children, she is thrilled. Dani intends to keep Trevor, a family friend, at arm’s length. But her heart changes toward him as they team up to protect Ady, the young daughter of a kidnapped scientist. 

After Trevor testifies against the son of Don Francisco Morales, a major supplier of heroin into the United States, Morales (aka the Scorpion) targets Trevor in a personal vendetta to destroy his reputation and then destroy everyone Trevor loves. 

With Ady tucked away in a secure location, Dani and Trevor embark on a chase that takes them from the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the jungles of Mexico. They must stop the Scorpion before he strikes again.

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Born in Illinois, Donna Fuller has lived in a variety of places and currently resides in Butler, Pennsylvania. At times she feels like a ping pong ball—bouncing from coast to coast and back again. Her grandchildren bring her the greatest joy. She has always been involved in writing, from journals to plays for Cub Scouts, to short stories for her children and as a reporter for a small newspaper. Donna has won awards for her writing and has also taught in writing workshops and retreats. She is the co-founder of the annual OHPA Writer’s Retreat in Western Pennsylvania. Her novels include A Strand of Doubt and CodeName Scorpion.

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Code Name Scorpion is a fast paced book following several intense story lines. Trevor Willis is an FBI consultant who gets mixed up with the biggest heroine dealer into the U.S. via Mexico when he busts the drug lord's only son. Out for revenge, this drug lord, Morales, decides to kill the man who put his son behind bars, along with everyone he loves.

Dani Carpenter is a woman falling in love with her boss, who happened to offer her her dream job of being a camp director. It appears she has problems of her own when people try to go after her as well. 

The two come together when Willis is asked to care for Ady, the daughter of one of his kidnapped employees. When the two both come to care for her as their own, things get complicated, especially when they have to leave her behind to protect her from Morales.

Code Name Scorpion is a relatively fast-paced action/adventure suspense/thriller type of story that seemed to move at almost breakneck speed. There is a lot going on, with a ton of threads that don't, at first, seem connected. If you're not paying attention when reading, you will miss things and get confused really quickly.

I give this book three and a half stars out of five, more because I think there was a little too much going and I did get a little lost at times because the pace was just too fast.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book.

Excerpt

“I’m worried about someone coming at me from behind. What should I do?”
“That’s a very good question. Let me demonstrate. Dani, can you help?”
She looked around, then pointed to herself in an exaggerated manner. “Me?”
“It seems as if she’s a little shy. Let’s encourage her.” Trevor started clapping. The noise grew until Dani blushed and gave him a look he hoped wouldn’t kill him.
He reached out his hand to help her up. “Come on.” He positioned her in front of him and said, “Act like you’re waiting for a bus.”
Dani crossed her arms and tapped her right foot, then checked her watch. Standing behind her, Trevor reached around her neck. “Remember number 2, take charge. The first thing to do is lock your chin down.”
She followed his directions.
“This will make it so your attacker cannot cut off your air supply.” Still holding onto Dani, Trevor continued. “One move won’t be enough, so think in multiples—a heel to his instep and an elbow to the solar plexus.”
Dani acted quickly, stomping on the inside of his foot. He grunted and let go of her neck. She finished with an elbow to his stomach.
Trevor groaned and grasped his abdomen. “Excellent demonstration. Did everyone get that?”
Dani smiled innocently. “Should I do it again—in case someone missed it?”
“No. no. That’s good. You can sit down.” 

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