Σάββατο 30 Μαρτίου 2019

Interlude: Cavatina by Tal Bauer

SUMMARY

Cavatina: A solo in the midst of a larger composition

Join the couples from your favorite Tal Bauer novels in Interlude: Cavatina, a collection of stories that brings everyone together in one volume!

Jack and Ethan Spiers-Reichenbach are settling into their marriage and enjoying their second holiday season together, this time in Texas instead of the White House. A phone call sends them to Wyoming, where Ethan must confront his past and seek answers to a question he never got a chance to ask.

Kris Caldera and Dawood Haddad have brought Dawood’s adopted son, Behroze, to America. But the family is struggling. Kris and Behroze fight constantly, with Dawood caught in the middle. What lingers in Behroze’s dark glower? How can Kris build a connection with his stepson?

Adam and Faisal al-Saud take their first steps in public as a married couple. Immediately, questions fly, and the United States takes a special interest in Adam. Between navigating the Americans’ demands and trying to make sense of what their long-term houseguest, Doc, needs from him, Adam can barely keep himself together through Ramadan.

In Rome, Cristoph and Luca battle risings and revenants and their own separate fears about Alain. Alain has pushed them both away, and as corpses pile up in Trastevere, Cristoph and Luca face their biggest fear: who has Alain become and what will they need to do?

Sasha Andreyev has made a name for himself at NASA. He’s one of the best astronaut trainees in the class. When it’s time to fly home to visit Sergey Puchkov in Moscow, he’s able to secure a surprise for Sergey: he’s coming home with something special, and he’s ready to give Sergey the high-speed ride of his life.

And in Washington DC, Tom Brewer and Mike Lucciano are ready to say those two little words: I do.

Author Note: Each couple’s story is independent of the others. And, though they all appear together in this novel, each universe remains separate and distinct. The Executive Office and the Hush/Whisper universes are not connected. The A Time to Rise universe also stands on its own. Readers may not be familiar with every couple or have read every novel. It is perfectly okay to read only the couples you care to.

MY REVIEW

New book, favourite old characters

• Cristoph & Alain from A Time to Rise - Vatican City, Rome
• Adam & Faisal from the Executive Office series - Manama, Bahrain & Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Kris & Dawood from Whisper - McLean, Virginia
• Tom & Mike from Hush - Washington DC
• Sergey & Sasha from the Executive Office series - Houston, Texas & Moscow, Russia
• Jack & Ethan from the Executive Office series - Austin, Texas & Wyoming

Well, this was an interesting little novel for the hardcore fans of Tal Bauer.

Obviously it is not an standalone and obviously if you have not read some of the previous books better skip the sections which include the continuation of these particular stories because you will not avoid the spoilers.

More or less I enjoyed the book, as it was a nice bridge to the next book by Tal that I pray that it will come soon because I keep experiencing withdrawal symptoms quite often recently.

Anyway, let's talk about the book. So, the stories alternate and some have more pages than others. Also, some stories feel like extended epilogues (you know, the HEA that was missing in the previous books) and the rest of the stories push the events forward.
But this in my personal opinion and maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe my perspective will change in the next books. I can understand it is hard to leave alone your favourite characters to continue with their lives without being watched and without being thrown into new adventures.

For example the story of Tom&Mike and the story of Jack&Ethan seem that they have reached their ultimate happy ending and no harm will be in their paths ever again. Fingers crossed.

The story of Cristoph & Alain seem that it has just started. The Time to Rise feels more and more like it was an introduction in this universe and now their short story in Interlude mostly creates questions than solves anything. Even the given solution in the previous book is abandon in this book. I wait impatiently for more vampire stories that take place in the Vatican please!

On the other hand the stories of Adam & Faisal and especially Sergey & Sasha I have no idea where they are going. Adam & Faisal is a beloved couple and definitely deserve their one book, but their story can simply stop here with Adam being happy and spoiled royally in Faisal's arms like a Harlequin character in a desert forever and ever OR everything can go to hell in the next book and they will need to prove their love once more. The tranquility and peace that they live right now is very fragile.
Sergey & Sasha still does not convince me as a couple. I have left them in an interesting place in Ascendent and now I feel that their story is going again nowhere. Will there be an Ascendent II? I am not so sure any more.

Finally, my favourite story is once more the one that includes Kris and Dawood. Still it is the most heartbreaking story and the most agonizing reality. Two civilisations, two religions, two so different men that now have a child to raise and show him that there is life, love, devotion and happiness away from the Afganistan mountains. I think that Kris is making once more the most sacrifices.
Even in Whisper it felt that Dawood was doing everything for his sense of justice and duty, while Kris was doing everything for his unquestionable and heartwrenching love for his husband. I am not sure this story is their epilogue. They have so many enemies and there are so many complications in their lives. Bad things will happen again for sure.

Overall, if you know and like like Tal's writing style, you will know what t expect. The book is exactly what you imagine it is. Have fun!

Παρασκευή 29 Μαρτίου 2019

SALE: Heath by K Webster and Nikki Ash

Heath

by K Webster and Nikki Ash Publication Date: October 25, 2018 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

99¢ Limited Time Only: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

What you can expect from Heath: It’s hot! It’s sexy! It’s emotional! It’s full of angst! It’s a love story unlike anything you’ve read! A modern telling of a classic tale... This isn’t a typical love story. This is a story of what happens when love is so powerful and all-consuming that it has the ability to destroy everyone involved. It’s definitely not pretty and it’s certainly not a fairytale, but it’s their story and it couldn’t be told any other way. “Who do you love?” I ask, my lips delicately brushing over hers. “A madman,” she teases. If God had a plan, it didn’t include us. Nothing this fiery—this intense—could come from the heavens. The flames that continually burn through us are straight from the bowels of hell. A devil and his queen. The powers she has over me are unexplainable. Otherworldly. An intensity that doesn’t die out with this lifetime, but will drag me into the next because we are linked in a way that transcends everything.

About K. Webster

K Webster is the author of dozens romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she’s active on social media connecting with her readers. Her other passions besides writing include reading and graphic design. K can always be found in front of her computer chasing her next idea and taking action. She looks forward to the day when she will see one of her titles on the big screen.

About Nikki Ash

Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher and mom by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children to Wuthering Heights to the latest Single Parent Romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book. Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!

Whisper by Tal Bauer

SUMMARY

The truth is complicated.

On September 11th, 2001, Kris Caldera was a junior member of the CIA's Alec Station, the unit dedicated to finding and stopping Osama Bin Laden.

They failed.

Ten days later, he was on the ground in Afghanistan with a Special Forces team, driven to avenge the ghosts that haunted him and the nation he'd let down. On the battlefield, he meets Special Forces Sergeant David Haddad. David - Arab American, Muslim, and gay - becomes the man Kris loves, the man he lives for, and the man he kills for, through the long years of the raging wars.

David Haddad thought he'd be an outsider his whole life. Too American for the Middle East, too Arab for America, and too gay to be Muslim. It took Kris to bring the parts of himself together, to make him the man he'd always wanted to be. But the War on Terror wreaks havoc on David's soul, threatening to shatter the fragile peace he's finally found with Kris.

When a botched mission rips David from Kris's life, Kris's world falls into ruin and ash. A shell of the man who once loved with the strength to shake both the CIA and the world, he marks time on the edges of his life. The days bleed together, meaningless after losing the love of his life.

After being captured, tortured to the edge of his life, and left for dead by his comrades, David doesn't know how much of himself is left. He vanished one day in the tribal belt of Pakistan, and the man who walks out almost a decade later is someone new: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.

But strange rumblings are whispering through the CIA. Intelligence from multiple sources overseas points to something new. Something deadly, and moving to strike the United States. Intercepts say an army from Khorasan, the land of the dead where the Apocalypse of Islam will rise, is coming.

And, at the head of this army, a shadowy figure the US hasn't seen before: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.

David is coming home

MY REVIEW

Whisper my name, and I will always be there.

The last 4-5 days I have been living and breathing inside Whisper. It is an overwhelming book. It is a strong book. It is a long book. I did a bit of research myself while I was reading it, because some events were strongly described and apparently they DID happen.

You need to invest a lot of your time when you start this book, but it is worth it.
It is a book about religion, blind faith, prophecies, holly wars, spiritual healing and peace. But mostly it is a book about LOVE. And when a book talks about love so strongly, I am game.

If I set my heart on anything but you
let fire burn me from inside.
Oh Beloved,
take away what I want.
Take away what I do.
Take away what I need.
Take away everything
that takes me from you.
Rumi

If you have read Hush, you most probably remember and have liked (Captain America's LOL) Mike’s sassy friend Kris with the tragic lovestory with the tragic ending who was pushing Mike in order to pursue happiness.
I was not sure that I wanted to learn what happened between Kris and his husband. Surprisingly (yes I know), I don't like sad endings. I just wanted and hoped that Kris would find the perfect replacement for this part of his heart that was gone. And that he would be finally happy with the perfect man.
So, when Whisper starts with the actual story of Kris and the true and only love of his life David from the actual beginning in 2001, I was thinking “Oh my God, where did I get myself into? This book will burn me alive and consume me and take my breath away and make me cry. I don't want to cry. Can we just get to the nice stuff, when Kris falls in love again and forever and ever? And this happens in 2018 preferably?!? I don’t want to know what happened in 2001.”

Haddad grinned. “I’m just the team medic. It’s a good thing I already knew Arabic. You can’t teach this dog any new tricks.”
Something curled through Kris’s veins, a familiar warmth. “Oh, I’m not sure about that.” He winked, his flirty nature naturally rising—

Damn it! Ok, fine! I will read it!

As a result I have spent the last few days up in the mountains of Afghanistan with Kris and David. I felt their fear, their hunger, their desperation and their determination. I saw them seeking for comfort and warmth sleeping together at night. I saw them falling in love.

Out of everyone in the room, David burned the brightest, laughed the loudest, transfixed Kris in ways he couldn’t describe. He almost couldn’t breathe, watching David. The thin air of Kabul seemed too weak, too light, to contain all that David was.

Then I saw them in Pakistan, in Iraq, in USA trying to convince everyone that they are allowed to be married and happy together.
I felt their pain when they failed, I felt their pain when they stopped believing in happy endings.

This is a very very long book obviously. If you don't pay attention, you may be lost.

The book can vaguely be distinguished in three main parts in the war zones. Between these parts Kris and David will have moments of peace back in USA:
1. Kris and David chasing the Bin Laden in Afghanistan and Pakistan
2. Kris and David following the war in Iraq
3. Kris and David being back in Afghanistan

After that, the action will shift to USA for Kris and to Pakistan Northwestern Frontier for David. They will now have different roles and different perspectives under the same moon, but not under the same sky.

Also three are the main critical turning points for the relationship between Kris and David:
1. Kris meets David
2. Kris loses David
3. David finds Kris

So this is the story of Kris in CIA: How a scrawny gay kid from Puerto Rico managed to be an American hero, how his actions or the lack of actions affected the future of a blood-bathing vicious war, how he rose above other people expectations, how he rose above his own expectations and changed the objectives and the views of a war, how he fell in love and matured and was broken and how he managed to put himself back again.
But it is also the story of David: how a Muslim boy from Libya forgot his roots, how he tried to hide his feelings and beliefs, how he tried to hide from his true self, how he survived being lost in the middle of two different civilizations, how the love of a man made him remember.

A lot of people are going to die for this, and if they die for lies, then what are they dying for?

The story is spanned in more than 15 years. The two lovers will need to have separate ways and be apart for so long! If you have read the blurb carefully , you will notice that David did not die. He was reborn. It is not easy to re-create and re-live such an epic love. Of course there would be only one man for Kris.

I believe that the author can create the strongest images with his perfect descriptions:
The wars are as ruthless and as unforgiving as I have imagined it.
The people involved in these wars are as broken and as confused as I have guessed they would be.
The bond of these two men bursts feelings. Affection, desire, lust, adoration, passion, sacrifice.

(I need to open a parenthesis here and tell you a bit about how I have experienced the last 18 years.
To be honest, I didn't really care much about politics or what was happening in the world in the beginning of this new millennium. I was young and carefree and a student in Newcastle, UK. I remember that when the buildings collapsed on 9/11, I was at the common computers room at the university and a friend was watching this live on the internet. I actually watched silently and live the second airplane crashing and the buildings falling and I did not know what I was seeing. I thought that it was the advertisement for a new blockbuster film and in the next few seconds Brush Willis would run from the debris, the dust and the smoke holding a puppy and two babies in his arms shouting “Take them and I am going back in. I need to save the cheerleaders.”
Of course when I realised my ignorance, I cried.
The same way, I cry when I watch the news nowadays and
...I see refugees drowning trying to cross the Mediterranean sea,
...I see children drowning before they reach Lesvos and Kos,
...I see children unable to breathe after the chemical attack in Syria,
...I see children being shot in schools and in concerts and in the cinemas in the USA and UK
...I see the bomb attacks in Paris and in Istanbul
...I see young people full of dreams being shot like animals in the summer camp in Norway
...I see cars crashing into helpless tourists
...I see despair, blood, bombs, deaths and suffering

Where had everything gone wrong?

You can say that I have become more sensitive recently and I know now what is going on around me. Maybe because I matured. Maybe because my father died and I became a mother. Now every time I see a person tortured or die, I think of his/her mother for some reason. And I also think of the mothers of the suicide bombers and terrorists. How do these women feel about the actions of their children?

“...everyone points the finger at each other, saying everyone else is the evil one. Where is the truth?”
“The truth is complicated.”

There is a fragile equilibrium among most of the countries during the last years. We live without thinking much of what is going on around us. Most of us operate on automatic pilot. We live, we work, we love or not love in our own little small universe.

During the last 4-5 years, I have divided my time between United Arab Emirates and Greece. I have basically raised my two young children in Abu Dhabi. I feel safe for my family here. I actually feel that this is the safest place on earth for the time being – although we are based in the middle of the storm. It is so weird. There is war and bombings all around in the middle East and here there is peace and quiet and safety. I can walk at 3 in the morning holding my two children and I know that nobody will attack me in the street. I know that if my forget my bag somewhere, it will be still there when I return. I know that when my son plays hide and seek with his friend here outside, he will not disappear for ever. And the relationships between people are nice. My children go to an international school. My son's teacher is from Iraq, while his teacher last year was from Lebanon. My daughter's teacher is from Ireland, while her teacher last year was from Singapore. My son's girlfriend (they are 5 y.o. and yes they are cute!) is from Mexico and his best friend is from Jordan. My daughter's boyfriend's name is Mohammed and he was born and raised in Ireland (they are 7 y.o. and yes they are cute!) and her best friend is from Turkey.
I feel so happy and blessed that my children grow up in such a multinational environment. I have lived something similar only when I was studying in UK.
But still after we have a couple of glasses of wine with my husband and we start talking about the future, I sometimes ask him half-seriously and half-jokingly “In case we need to run, besides the children, our passports and some money, what else do we need to get with us?”.
What I am trying to say is that although I feel safe, I am still scared.
And this is the end of this very long parenthesis. )

Back to the book...
Well, it is not easy to write my thoughts and feelings in just one page for a book that took 6 months for the author to research and write it and it is more than 900 pages long. I don't think I can do the book justice.

The author has amazingly woven together true historical recent facts and events, conspiracy theories and fiction. But the central piece of all these is an incredible lovestory.

All the parts of David, all the pieces that made him the man Kris loved, were tumbling within him, slipping inside of his soul. Vows of love in Arabic and English, prayers to Allah, Kris’s name, the name of his lover, a man. David shuddered, his body quaking in Kris’s arms. Who was David when he bared everything?
“Habib albi,” Kris breathed. “Enta habibi.” Love of my heart. You are my love.
David pulled back. Their eyes met. “Ya rouhi,” David whispered. My soul.
Kris kissed him. Their bodies were still joined. David still filled him, body and soul. “You are my soul, too.”

I hope that you give this book a chance.

Πέμπτη 28 Μαρτίου 2019

NEW BOOK RELEASE: Sin of Love by L.M. Halloran

Title: Sin of Love
Series: Illusions Duet #2

Author: L.M. Halloran

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: March 28, 2019

Blurb

GIDEON

She took me with her when she left.

A day.

A thousand days.

It doesn’t matter.

She blew out the flame inside me and now

I’m in the dark.

DEIRDRE

Suffering is the cloak that shelters.

The mask that protects fragile skin.

And happiness is something for those

who have suffered less.

Happiness doesn’t live here,

in the house of broken dolls.

Only sin.

***

Author's Note: This duet takes place in the world of the Vision Series but can be read as a standalone. Mature themes. HEA guaranteed.

ADD TO GOODREADS

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Author Bio

When not writing or reading, the author enjoys walking barefoot, subjecting her husband to questionable recipes, and chasing her spirited toddler. She's a rabid fan of coffee, moon-gazing, and small dogs that resemble Ewoks. Home is San Diego, CA, but her heart lives in Portland.

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Τετάρτη 27 Μαρτίου 2019

Hush byTal Bauer

SUMMARY

A federal judge running from the truth.
A U.S. marshal running from his past.
A trial that can plunge the world into war.

Federal Judge Tom Brewer is finally putting the pieces of his life back together. In the closet for twenty-five long years, he’s climbing out slowly, and, with the hope of finding a special relationship with the stunning Mike Lucciano, U.S. Marshal assigned to his DC courthouse. He wants to be out and proud, but he can’t erase his own past, and the lessons he learned long ago.

But a devastating terrorist attack in the heart of DC, and the subsequent capture and arrest of the terrorist, leads to a trial that threatens to expose the dark underbelly of America’s national security.

As Russia beats the drums of war, intent on seeking revenge, and the United States struggles to contain the storm before it races out of control, secrets and lies, past and present, collide in Judge Tom Brewer’s courtroom. With the world’s attention fixed on Tom and this case, he suddenly discovers he may be the only person who can put everything together in time to stop the spark of a new world war.

MY REVIEW

"Your Honor, the court is assembled and everyone is ready for you."

So...where do I start with this review? I will start by stating one major fact:

This is not one story, but two stories. And they are so distinct as night and day. Story 2 starts when you hear the first gunshots, around in the middle of the book.
Then, the focus will change, the pace will change and the story will become a court drama and a conspiracy theory adventure before you say 'rainbow'.

And yes the first part, the first story of the book is not like this. It deals with the beginning of the love story between judge Tom Brewer, the newest judge to the Washington DC Federal District Court and Mike Luciano, Deputy US Marshal and it is beautiful and heart breaking. Both Tom and Mike will be ready for a fresh start before they start dating each other.

Mike was not happy before Tom: "You want the gay fairy tale, Mike. You want Prince Charming and happy ever after. But, Prince Charming is not going to come wrapped up in the boys you've been fooling with."

Tom was not happy before Mike:He was going to die in this house one day, and no one would know. Someone, eventually, would complain about the smell...and that day would come sooner than later if he had to endure this aching loneliness for another twenty-five years.
So Tom discovered Mike and then he rediscovered himself. And Mike will become the happiest man.

And then the shootings will start.

The book is a combination of themes that I absolutely love in my books:
1. An impossible love story between two people that are not supposed to be together.
2. A fresh start and a second chance in life for someone that thought that his life was over and his true self was died and buried.
3. A conspiracy theory with lots of cover ups, twists and angst that could have happened in the 70s during the Cold War but it happens nowadays.

Loved it!!!!

The secondary characters such as ruthless/remorseless Dylan Ballard (the United States attorney) and understanding/flawless Kris Caldera (Mike's best friend) are worth mentioning. I can imagine great stories with them as main characters.

40022159

Τρίτη 26 Μαρτίου 2019

NEW BOOK RELEASE: Snatched by K. Sterling

Title: Snatched

Author: K. Sterling

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: March 26, 2019

The fall of a powerful gangster is just the beginning…

It was just another crime scene and just another body as a turf war gripped the city but things take a shocking turn when Dr. Jake Tyler is abducted and the body stolen. Determined to restore his reputation and solve a crime without a body, Jake risks his life and career when he battles wits with the elusive and merciless head of an Irish crime family. Too stubborn to back down and take the loss, he’s determined to get answers and see justice served.

Sometimes, too much power is the hardest curse to break and Dilan O’Shea is trapped when his father goes into witness protection. Dilan’s devotion to his baby brother and fear for his family forces him into a life of deception and crime. The murder he’s determined to hide is the least dangerous of his secrets. It’s just another piece of the deadly high-stakes game Dilan’s playing when he snatches the snarky, hardheaded medical examiner.

Jake can’t keep his mind off the brutal mobster and the investigation gets complicated when they can’t stay out of each other’s way or keep their hands off each other. Dilan gets more than he bargained for and he has no choice but to trust a man he kidnapped at gunpoint. Can two men from opposite sides of the law solve a mystery together or will their inescapable passion cost them everything?

Goodreads ➜ “One hell of a fun read! I can't wait for Roan's book #grabbyhands”

OMGReads ➜ “The characters were very well thought out and the story line was great.”

Goodreads ➜ “Delicious….From the moment that Dilan kidnaps Jake this book just gets better and better.”

K. Sterling is just a very tired and anxious woman with a MacBook who writes to save her sanity. Writing also allows her to stay home and care for her dogs, Milo and the awful Otis, and one very abusive cat, Luna. K. has two teenage daughters who are the most teenage daughters to ever teenage and responsible for all of K.’s premature grey hairs. She also homeschools her teenage son, Alex. Alex has severe autism and is the inspiration behind K.’s most beloved character, Dr. Aiden Sharp. Before all this magical romance nonsense happened, K. served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence agent then went on to teach CI Investigations before changing careers and becoming a stay-at-home mom with Alex and the gang. K. has been married for many, many years to Mr. Sterling and he is currently leaving his very long career in counterintelligence to narrate his wife’s audiobooks. And other things.