DEAD HOPE by Nicky Wells @WellsNicky Suspense #Romance / #Thriller #TuesdayBookBlog

Dead Hope by Nicky Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dead Hope is a romantic suspense/ thriller. Thirty one year old Cat Hope, spoilt socialite daughter of rock star legends, finds herself in front of a judge when caught in possession of class A drugs. She’s been in and out of rehab for years, so when the judge enforces a sentence which entails her getting a proper job, supporting herself and doing five hundred hours of community service rather than the expected prison sentence, Cat is rather shocked.

Sent immediately from the hearing to a small northern town with a new identity, Cat finds herself living her life as Annabelle Smith. With no educational qualifications the only job she can find is a lowly job in a digitisation company. Fellow worker Kay takes pity on her and helps her get settled, she intrigues him, it is obvious to him that she’s running away from something. Not that he can judge, his own background isn’t very rosy.

Kay helps Annabelle after a heroic day at the office and a stiff drink for the shock turns into a deeper conversation about the past. Annabelle tells Kay about her parents and together they decide to find out more about an event which happened more than twenty years ago and which has been haunting lives ever since. However soon their search triggers red flags amongst others who have been keeping secrets and as events unfold, Cat is exposed to danger and Kay will do anything to rescue her.

An easy read, slight twist on a rags to riches storyline. A well paced suspense probably more for romance readers looking to spread their reading wings a little wider than those into deep dark thrillers. The rock theme which this author is known for is thread throughout the storyline. Enjoyable read.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book description

DEAD HOPE is the new thriller by Nicky Wells, bringing you a delicious cocktail of crime, suspense, and romance:
Cat Hope doesn’t want to go to prison. She needs a job, and she needs it fast: judge’s orders.
Kay Mahon, office worker by day and hacker by night, is on the run from a past life that he’d rather not remember.
When their paths cross, they begin to investigate the truth behind the deaths of Cat’s parents, the successful rock star couple Jackie and Adam Hope. Little do they know that their quest is putting Cat in grave danger.

About the author

About Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills

Nicky Wells writes captivating romance and breathtaking thrillers featuring famous (or infamous!) feisty heroes and extraordinary villains. DEAD HOPE is her eighth book and the first published novel in her “Wake Up Dead” themed thriller series, with the next two books scheduled for release through the course of 2017 and 2018. Nicky has previously published seven works of romantic fiction both with US publishing house, Sapphire Star Publishing, and independently.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. She loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s hopelessly addicted to reading crime novels by the truck load.

Nicky’s books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas

| Fallen for Rock | Fairy Tale in New York | Seven Years Bad Sex

Join Nicky: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+

Question: You’ve been a bit quiet this past year or so. What’s been happening? Where have you been?

Nicky: After the release of my last novel, the romantic comedy “Seven Years Bad Sex,” I decided to take a little breather and to allow myself some time to think about where I was going to go next, writing-wise. I took a whole six months off, and I spent that time with family and decorating a part of our house. Wouldn’t you know it, six months flew by, and I found myself brimming with ideas for not one but several books, and I got busy writing and planning and writing again.

Question: Tell us about DEAD HOPE. How did you come up with the idea?

Nicky: DEAD HOPE was born with the working title of “Deep Cover”. When the idea came to me, I was still planning to write a romance featuring rock stars, and the key nugget is: what would happen if you transplanted a world-famous rock star into an office job like you and me might hold down? Moreover, what would happen if you removed that rock star from their natural habitat, the glittering metropolis, and placed them into a sleepy rural town? Romantic and comedy ideas flowed galore.

Question: So, DEAD HOPE was going to be a romantic comedy?

Nicky: A romantic comedy-slash-suspense, yes. That was the plan.

Question: How did you get from romantic comedy-slash-suspense to thriller? That’s quite a leap.

Nicky: It might look that way, but it was actually a gradual progression. I’m an OCD planner. I can’t write if I haven’t got the book planned out in minute detail, so I sat down and started weaving all my wonderful ideas together. But there was one central question I couldn’t answer: Why. Why would this whole thing happen? What would bring the rock star to the office job in the middle of nowhere?

Question: And?

 Nicky: I did a spider map of all the possible scenarios that could have got the rock star into his unusual circumstances, and I got a bit carried away. I allowed myself to really think out of the box, and suddenly one scenario jumped out at me that turned the plot entirely on its head. Funny how a small idea can prompt a cataclysmic change! My hero turned into a heroine, and while she’s the daughter of a famous rock star couple, she isn’t a celebrity in her own right. But at that point, the romance theme was still dominant.

Question: What happened next?

Nicky: I finished planning and started writing. And as soon as I started writing, the thriller and crime ideas just took off. This baby wanted to be something completely different from what I had envisaged, so I had to abandon writing and re-plan. I went deep on the logistics of my core crime, my mystery, and I learned quite a bit about court and police procedures and forensics, more so than is evident in the story but lots of stuff that’ll come in handy in my next stories. In this way, DEAD HOPE turned from a romantic suspense into a crime thriller with a strong romance subplot.

Question: But there is still some romance?

Nicky: There is still some romance. J

Question: What about blood and gore?

Nicky: That, not so much. I don’t like blood and gore and while there is some—it is a crime story, after all—the novel is all about solving the mystery. I guess I’m trying to follow in the tradition of Agatha Christie and Sue Grafton, not that I could ever hope to aspire to match their genius.

Question: Go on then, sell it to me. What’s DEAD HOPE all about?

Nicky: All right… here goes the elevator pitch!

A unique and delicious cocktail of crime, suspense and romance, “DEAD HOPE” is a compulsive page turner.

 Cat Hope doesn’t want to go to prison. Kay Mahon is on the run from a past life that he’d rather not remember. When their paths cross, they begin to investigate the truth behind the deaths of Cat’s parents, the successful rock star couple Jackie and Adam Hope. Little do they know that their quest is putting Cat in grave danger…

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Twitter also available free from kindle unlimited

CARNAL OBSESSION: HIS HEART’S PRISONER by Reily Garrett @reily_garrett Erotic #Romantic Suspence

Carnal Obsession: His Heart’s Prisoner by Reily Garrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carnal Obsession: His Heart’s Prisoner is book #4 of the Carnal series of erotic romantic supsenses, but can be read as a stand alone.

The book’s setting is a place called Gradenburg and is the story of Kendra and Conner. Kendra is a street rat, a run-a-way, she plays in a band and is about to play her first gig which could lead to well paid long term work. Kendra has been on the run for three years after her brother was killed and she had a huge row with her family.

Fellow band member Daeron looks out for her and has taught her how to survive on the streets, it makes her wary, aggressive and self-protective.

The gig venue is a castle, but Kendra soon finds out it is the home of a BDSM club called Ambrosia. A scuffle with an over attentive club member almost loses them the gig, but club owner Conner Crofton intervenes. Conner has been searching for Kendra, he promised his fellow special ops team brother he’d look after her, but she’s been hard to find and even now she’s ready to bolt at any moment.

Conner and Kendra knew each other when growing up, but when danger threatens Kendra can Conner protect her? And when will he admit that she is no longer a child but a women he greatly desires?

This book is plot driven and mildly connects to BDSM. There is one main feature of erotica and most other action crosses with hot romance, however readers of light romance should know that the BDSM theme runs though-out the book. This is the first book I’ve read in the series and I would certainly read more by this author.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book Description

Life on the street molds emotional athletes.

Three years ago, her brother’s death marked the beginning of Kendra’s new life, an existence with no home, no family, and no friends. Time in the underground byways toughened her emotional shell with the loose association of like-minded street rats where survival meant compromise and constant vigilance.
Before he died, Billy had sent her a package in care of his teammate, Conner. For Kendra, re-entrance into polite society comes with a deadly price, as betrayal comes from both sides of the grave.
Conner Crofton owns the BDSM club Ambrosia. After failing to protect his teammate on their last covert mission, penance takes form as a promise to safeguard Billy’s little sister, a girl he’d unknowingly remanded to a world of darkness and uncertainty, deception and psychopathic stalkers.
The past will always haunt us. Each must earn forgiveness and trust as passion, guilt, deception, and betrayal, interweave a destiny formed long ago. A romantic suspense with a twist.

About the author

Reily’s employment as an ICU nurse, private investigator, and work in the military police has given her countless experiences in a host of different environments to add a real world feel to her fiction. Though her kids are her life, writing is Reily’s life after. The one enjoyed…after the kids are in bed or after they’re in school and the house is quiet. This is the time she kicks back with laptop and lapdog to give her imagination free rein.

In life, hobbies can come and go according to our physical abilities, but you can always enjoy a good book. Life isn’t perfect, but our imaginations can be. Relax, whether it’s in front of a fire or in your own personal dungeon. Take pleasure in a mental pause as you root for your favorite hero/heroine and bask in their accomplishments, then share your opinions of them over a coffee with your best friend (even if he’s four legged). Life is short.

Cherish your time.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT NO TIME LIKE NOW by @JYoungWriter #SundayBlogShare

Today’s team review is from Suzanne, she blogs at https://suzannerogersonfantasyauthor.wordpress.com/

Suzanne has been reading No Time Like Now by Jennifer Young

No Time Like Now – Jennifer Young

Genre: Romantic suspense.

Length: 258 pages

Review copy received from the author (via Rosie Amber’s book review team.)

Blurb:

Hiding away from a disastrous past, Megan McLeod is getting along nicely in her job as a housekeeper at a university field centre in Majorca. But the arrival of geological researcher, Tim Stone, throws everything into disarray – because Tim was the father of the baby she lost some years before and the two of them had parted very messily indeed…

First impressions:

I was drawn to the premise of a geologist and the location Majorca. I enjoyed the book from the start, the gentle introduction into Megan’s world at the field centre and then the impact of Tim’s sudden reappearance in her life. In her bid to escape him, she heads for the beach and stumbles on to something that will eventually put both their lives in danger.

The mysteries of past and present running through the book kept me turning the pages. I had to know what had happened in Megan’s past and how things had gone so badly wrong with her and Tim. There was a touch of menace in this storyline as well, which I hadn’t been expecting. I enjoyed the suspense element to the plot and how at times you weren’t really sure who to trust. I also liked how the author used the location and the elements to increase the tension and the danger.

Characters:

Throughout the book, I didn’t feel completely connected with the characters and at times it was frustrating that they kept refusing to talk to each other. There were also a few places where I felt both Megan and Tim acted out of character, but I can’t explain these points without spoilers.

However, when I reached the end where everything was revealed and the mysteries were resolved, I felt more emotionally connected to Megan. I even shed a tear or two for her and that is why I am happy to round up my star rating to 4.

Style:

I didn’t understand why the author chose to have Megan’s chapters in first person and Tim’s in third person. It didn’t detract from the story at all, but I don’t think it added to it either. I had no problem switching between both viewpoints and it was well written.

Summary:

An enjoyable read for romance readers, especially those who like a bit of added mystery and suspense.

My rating: 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT NO TIME LIKE NOW by Jennifer Young #RomanticSuspense

Today’s second team review is from Babus, she blogs here http://ajoobacatsblog.wordpress.com

Babus has been reading No Time Like Now by Jennifer Young

More a 3.5, I’ve rounded up.

Megan had fled her past, her hometown in conservative Western Scotland, and her family after a tragic event four years ago. She now lives and works in Majorca and leads a reasonably solitary life having never quite recovered from the loss and betrayal of her past. When the man she’s been hoping to avoid most walks back into her life, Megan tries to handle the situation with poise but the history between them is too painful to let bygones be bygones, despite the fact Tim might be involved with someone else.

In the meantime a body washes up on the beach and Tim, who is a geologist, is warned away from doing his work, never one to back down his stubborn nature leads them all to danger.

Contemporary romance is not my usual genre and although this book offers a fair deal of thrill with a body and mystery, the romance left me a little underwhelmed. I felt no real depth of feeling from Megan and she seemed a bit bland, Tim a supposedly dashing hero, just didn’t do it for me.

The last 25-20% of the book was marginally more exciting than the lead up but I can’t say this one has inspired a new passion in romance books for me. Still it’s quite a captivating beach read if romance is your bag.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT NO TIME LIKE NOW by Jennifer Young #RomanticSuspense #SundayBlogShare

Today’s second team review is from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading No Time Like Now by Jennifer Young

No Time Like Now by Jennifer Young

3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team

Megan McLeod works at a university field centre on Puerto Pollensa, Marjorca—quite happily, until the arrival of researcher Tim Stone, with Holly, his PHD student. Straight away we know that Megan and Tim have a history, but what does this history entail? Is Holly and Tim’s relationship just professional? Tim’s appearance also stirs up Megan’s problems with her father, which she tries to resolve in her own head and by writing to him.

Walking on the beach one day, Megan comes across a dead body, who appears to have fallen from the cliffs; the question is, did she fall or was she pushed? Enter impossibly handsome undercover detective Álvaro…

Throughout the mystery that the story centres around is the backdrop of the past relationship between Megan and Tim. Sadly, I couldn’t see the chemistry; Megan was rather dour and humourless, and Tim was all cold cynicism, although more is revealed about him later to explain this. But I didn’t feel any passion between them. The secondary characters had more appeal and realism—the upbeat and sociable Holly, and Domenica, who runs the centre.

As far as the technical side of the writing is concerned, I couldn’t fault this book; it’s grammatically sound, no proofreading or copy-editing errors, it flows well and I didn’t find any plot inconsistencies; it’s very well put together.   My only problem with it was that I found it rather flat, with not enough spark to make it memorable. I don’t mean this to be a bad review, as the book is extremely competent, contains much to commend it and I am sure others will enjoy it more than I did but, for me, it was a little bland.

Find a copy here Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Executioner by Ana Calin #NA #Romance #TuesdayBookBlog

The Executioner by Ana Calin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Executioner is a romantic suspense and suited to the NA market as the main characters are University aged students. The book is set in Romania. Alice Preda is a student in Constanta. She is attracted to a medical student, Damian Novac and connives with friends to create situations when they will meet.

A trip to the mountains is suggested and Alice hopes to become more acquainted with Damian, it’s very cold and there is deep snow. When the train becomes de-railed with little sign of rescue, the group must try to survive. Alice is hurt as they scramble out of the train and wakes to find she’s been taken to a cabin. There is a large mixed group from the train and Damian uses his medical skills to revive Alice and warm her body.

The group start drinking the alcohol rescued from the train, but after twenty four hours and no rescue, Damian sets out with two others to find help. A sinister turn of events sets fear amongst the group and when human turns on human, Alice fears for her life.

Once again Alice awakes having been rescues by Damian, but now she is in hospital. Her father and Mother have been called, but now there is a new threat. Rumours of a sinister group and an undercover operation with missing case files throw Alice and her friends into a new battle. Who can they trust, who is lying? Should she trust the Romanian Intelligence services or Damian?

This is book one of a two book series and introduces the reader to a very believable set of circumstances and possibilities from a part of Europe which has been heavily guarded by secrecy for many years.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Virgo’s Vice by Trisha Jackson @TrishaJAuthor #Bookreview #RomanticSuspense @SoulMatePublish

Virgo’s Vice by Trish Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Virgo’s Vice is a light romantic suspense set in Zimbabwe. Lexie King is a camera operator for a new reality show titled “Endure and Win”. Her boss Allan Dockery has put everything into this show as a last ditch attempt to score a huge TV contract, but he made the leap to set the filming in motion before he had the money from the backers.

The book opens with the contestants and the two camera operators forced to leap out of an aeroplane with no parachute training into a remote part of Africa. Dropped with two bags of supplies they must survive or die. They’ve got three days before the main show team return and the real contest begins.

With a $1 million prize, the show has drawn contestants from a diverse background all with their reasons for being there. Forced to depart immediately for the show, most of the contestants arrive unsuitably dressed, but they have all been allowed to pack one survival item each and a few other personal essentials. The idea behind the show is that it will be a six week reality game.

Lexie is shocked when she recognises a haunting face from her past, one she has yet to get over and his leering eyes bring back a past full of horrors. The team pull together from their respective strengths to make a shelter and find food and water. It’s not long before sinister events occur and the team begin to be picked off one by one.

There are a lot of characters in the game and they are all introduced at the start which I found hard to keep track of. For me the early scenes with setting up the camp slow the suspense pacing of the book, the contents of the rucksacks may have worked better drip fed into the storyline. This is a light read and readers of romance will enjoy the HEA ending.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

The #MysteryNovember Book Tour Day 16 @MarciaMeara

Welcome to Day 16 of the #MysteryNovember Book tour.

Today our guest is Marcia Meara and her book Swamp Ghosts.

Swamp Ghosts by Marcia Meara

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.

Where is your home town?

I live in Sanford, Florida, a little town on the shores of Lake Monroe, part of the St. Johns River basin, which is the setting for Swamp Ghosts.

What do you like about writing in the mystery genre?

It’s fun to keep people guessing. There are a lot of ways to do that, but knowing readers are trying to figure out who the bad guy is…in this case, who the deranged serial killer is…adds a whole new element to the plot.

What sub-genre of mystery does your book fit?

Swamp Ghosts is a romantic suspense. (At the heart of all my books is a love story of one kind or another.)

Where is your book set?

Along the shores of the beautiful and wild St. Johns River, in and around a little town called Riverbend, which exists purely in my imagination. Riverbend is a combination of several real small towns in the area, though probably more like DeBary, Florida, than any of the others.

Can you introduce us to the main characters?

Fiery, red-headed Maggie Devlin has inherited her father’s floundering eco tour cruise business. She’s a disillusioned, 33-year old divorcee, and she’s desperately trying to rebuild the business into something that will actually support her. Maggie knows her birds and wildlife, and loves taking people on tours of the St. Johns River, but she’s got to pay the bills, and that’s becoming more and more difficult. Though she hates Gunnar Wolfe on sight (hard to imagine as that might be), his offer to pay top dollar for her help is impossible to turn down.

Gunnar Wolfe is a handsome, 6’5” Viking of a man, who looks remarkably like actor Chris Hemsworth, a/k/a Thor. In spite of his good looks, he’s an affable, outgoing, uncomplicated kind of guy, who’s friends with everyone, including all his ex-girlfriends. Gunn has a secret dream, though. He’s an accomplished wildlife photographer, and he wants to see one of his photos on the cover of National Geographic. This sets him on a quest to find the rarest bird of them all, a photo of which would be impossible for NatGeo to ignore, and he needs someone knowledgeable to canoe him into the remotest streams and wetlands Florida has to offer. On the advice of a friend, he hires Maggie to be his guide, even though she makes it abundantly clear she thinks he’s crazy, and that it’s a work-only situation, and always will be.

Where can readers find out more about you and your writing?

Social Media Links: (Email me any time! Love meeting new readers.)

Email: mmeara@cfl.rr.com

Bookin’ It: http://marciameara.wordpress.com/

The Write Stuff (Writers Helping Writers): http://marciamearawrites.com/

Twitter: @marciameara

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marcia.meara or http://www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writer

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/

Newsletter Sign Up Link:

http://wordpress.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=aab68cfc854e6c6a7da6ea831&id=b6c23fcd59

 

Where can readers find your book?

BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON

Riverbend Series

Swamp Ghosts (Riverbend Book 1): http://bit.ly/SwampGhosts

Finding Hunter (Riverbend Book 2): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014Q8F1UU

Swamp Ghosts on Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K0QXLCS?keywords=Swamp%20Ghosts&qid=1445437989&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Wake-Robin Ridge Series

Wake-Robin Ridge: (Wake-Robin Ridge Book 1): http://bit.ly/Wake-RobinRidge

A Boy Named Rabbit (Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2): http://bit.ly/ABoyNamedRabbit

My Poetry: Summer Magic – Poems of Life & Love: http://bit.ly/SummerMagicPoems

#RomancingSeptember Day 30 Wake-Robin Ridge by @MarciaMeara #wwwblogs

It’s the last day of #RomancingSeptember

Today our guest is Marcia Meara and her book Wake-Robin Ridge

Where is your home town?

I live just north of Orlando, in Sanford, Florida.

How long have you been writing romance?

Two years. My first book, a romantic suspense entitled Wake-Robin Ridge, was published in August, 2013. Since then, I’ve published two more novels, and my fourth is coming out in September.

What is your favourite sub-genre of romance?

Romantic Suspense. I want lots of danger in the mix, brave people fighting against terrible odds, and prevailing in the end. I do like some Paranormal Romance, too, and I even prefer that my Urban (and regular) Fantasy have a strong love interest going on. The love story will pull me back every time.

Where and when is your book set?

Wake-Robin Ridge is the name of a fictional mountain in the Chimney Rock/Lake Lure/Asheville area of North Carolina. The novel deals with two women who each lived in the same log cabin on the ridge, nearly fifty years apart, so part of the story takes place in the 1960’s, and part takes place in 2012 and 2013.

Introduce us to Sarah Gray.

ME: I’ll let her do that.WRR:     “MY NAME IS Sarah Gray. I’m a thirty-five-year-old library cataloging and research assistant. For the better part of the last decade, I‘ve spent at least forty hours a week in a tiny cubicle, hidden deep within the Leland Walker Historical Library in DeBary, Florida, reading and cataloging old, crumbling manuscripts, diaries, business records, and journals.”ME: She’s bored and restless, and when one load of manuscripts too many comes along, she has an epiphany. SARAH:   “As I sat at my desk on a Friday night, staring at the pile of work I’d been assigned at the last minute, my frustration with my lot in life reached critical mass. I snarled. I ranted. I pouted. I even teared up pitifully, wailing the eternal cry of losers everywhere, “Why meeee?     I made up my mind on the spot. I would do it! I would move to Wake-Robin Ridge.”

 

And then the truth dawned. I had no strings to speak of. I could leave. And I knew exactly where I could go—the one place I loved more than anywhere in the world. There, I could live a simple life surrounded by the beauty of nature, and the peace and quiet of the deep woods. I could write. I could write all day long, every day, if I wished, with no one to worry about but myself. I could quit marking time at a dead-end job, and live the life I was meant to live.

Who is MacKenzie Cole?

ME: That’s exactly what Sarah Gray wonders when she meets him for the first time, a chance encounter, which occurs when he comes looking for his runaway dog, Rosheen. She checks him out, of course:SARAH:   “Tall, maybe 6’3”, with glossy black hair curling slightly over his ears. Equally dark brows over unusually pale blue eyes, and very fair skin. Overall, he was strikingly good looking, with a sense of quiet strength about him. In his faded jeans and soft blue denim shirt, he looked perfectly at home in these mountains, as though he had been here a long time.”ME: But Mac has his secrets, and he won’t give them up easily. No one knows the reason he keeps to himself on top of his mountain, and even his curiosity about the beautiful woman who just moved into the cabin across the highway won’t make him any easier to talk to. (He does talk to himself and to his Irish wolfhound a lot, though.)MAC:   “Sarah Gray. You are trouble with a capital T. Where did you come from, and why are you over there, all alone in that cabin? Couldn’t you have chosen some other mountain? Why are you here on mine?

Mac wondered why it was people started out so full of promise, and ended up so full of pain. And damn if he was going to let this woman interfere with the quiet life he’d made for himself, no matter how beautiful she was.

Is there a danger is lurking in the mountains?

But of course! When Ruth Carter ran away from her abusive husband, and settled in her little cabin in 1962, she hoped she’d found a safe haven. Of course, taking Lloyd Carter’s prized fire-engine red Chevy Impala, and his secret hoard of cash along with her, pretty much guaranteed he’d never stop looking for her. When he tracks her down, bad, bad things happen, and the horrifying repercussions are still being felt nearly fifty years later, when Sarah Gray moves into the same cabin.

Tell us about the Blue Ridge Mountains as a leisure destination.

Both the Blue Ridge and the Smoky Mountains are part of the Appalachian chain, the oldest mountains on earth, and there is something utterly primeval about them. They are stunningly beautiful in all seasons, with their eroded, rounded domes rolling on as far as the eye can see. Deep forests, crystal clear rivers and streams, and frothing waterfalls lure visitors to them all year long, but autumn in the Blue Ridge is without parallel anywhere else on earth.  A vacation spent in the North Carolina Mountains is sheer perfection, especially for nature lovers. Hiking, kayaking, birding, Chimney Rock Park, historic Asheville, the Biltmore Manor, and loads of history, everywhere you look, all add up to a fantastic time. If I could get my husband out from under the palm trees, I’d be living in a Blue Ridge mountain cabin, myself.

The people who call these mountains home are down to earth, friendly, and proud of their heritage. Long generations of settlers, primarily from Ireland, Scotland, and England have lived in these ancient hills since before the Revolutionary War, and many of their legends and superstitions (often Celtic in origin) are alive and well today.

Tell us what you are working on at the moment.

I’m currently editing my fourth novel, Finding Hunter, which is Book 2 in my Riverbend series, set here in central Florida. Book 1, Swamp Ghosts, was published in spring of 2014. Finding Hunter is probably the most romantic of my four novels to date, and instead of the deranged serial killer of Swamp Ghosts, it focuses on human tragedy and heartbreak, and how it impacts people in very different ways. Finding Hunter should be available in September, and though it can be read as a standalone, the main characters were introduced in Swamp Ghosts. I personally think readers of either of my series will enjoy the books more, if they’re read in order.I am also putting together my notes and research for my third Wake-Robin Ridge book, Harbinger, which deals with the Celtic legend of the Black Dog, a harbinger of death. In the Appalachians, the Black Dog is known as Ol’ Shuck, and if you see him, it means someone is going to die.

Where can readers find out more about you?

If you live in the Central Florida area, I’m frequently out and about doing Meet the Author events at various local venues, and would love to have you stop by and say hello. Sign up for my newsletter to get my schedule.  The Write Stuff (Writers Helping Writers): http://marciamearawrites.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marcia.meara or http://www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writerEmail: mmeara@cfl.rr.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/

Twitter: @marciameara

Bookin’ It: http://marciameara.wordpress.com/

If you live farther away, look for me on social media here:

http://wordpress.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=aab68cfc854e6c6a7da6ea831&id=b6c23fcd59

Drop me a line, or make a comment on my blogs any time. I love meeting new readers and other writers.

Wake-Robin Ridge Series

Wake-Robin Ridge: http://bit.ly/Wake-RobinRidge

A Boy Named Rabbit (Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2): http://bit.ly/ABoyNamedRabbit

 

Riverbend Series

Swamp Ghosts: http://bit.ly/SwampGhosts

Finding Hunter

 

Summer Magic: http://bit.ly/SummerMagicPoems

Find out more about Marcia’s writing and her book from Stephanie in just a few hours  http://stephanie-hurt.com/

 

The Celtic Knot by Shannon MacLeod @TheMacLeod #Romance #Suspense #bookreview

The Celtic Knot by Shannon MacLeod

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Celtic Knot is a mild romantic suspense with a touch of magic. It is set in Florida around a Renaissance festive theme park.

Lily Evans is an insurance agent, who works alongside her controlling boyfriend Lucas. She enjoys reading Tarot cards and her friend Beth persuades her to take a part-time job reading the cards at Castle Wilde. It’s here she first meets Ian Kelly, Irish mural painter and actor, there is an instant attraction.

Through dream scenes we discover that both Lily and Ian have met in several past lifetimes, so it’s no surprise they feel things are familiar at times. Lucas disapproves of anything magical which borders on fantasy, so Lily soon decides to leave him for Ian.

Meanwhile the local news tells of a woman’s body found in the River Alafia.

Ian soon has concerns for Lily’s safety when he suspects a stalker with a more sinister motif, but he has his own secrets he’s not yet prepared to reveal. Can he make a final commitment or will he lose Lily again?

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads