Michael J. McCann - The Rainy Day Killer - Review and Giveaway

About the Book

A man in a business suit offers the protection of his umbrella to an unsuspecting woman, and several days later she turns up dead on a river bank, raped and strangled. The terrifying serial killer known in the press as the Rainy Day Killer is now hunting new victims in the city of Glendale ... whenever it rains.

Homicide Lieutenant Hank Donaghue leads the investigation as the killer begins to communicate directly to him through phone calls and grisly packages containing body parts of his victims. Assisted by FBI profiler Ed Griffin, Donaghue and Detective Karen Stainer pursue an elusive predator who leaves no physical evidence behind.

The timing couldn't be worse, however, as Karen Stainer's attention is divided between the investigation and preparations for her upcoming wedding. Distracted and uncertain about her future, Stainer is furious when she learns that the Rainy Day Killer has followed her to Virginia, where the wedding will take place, and that he intends to make her his next victim!

My Review

It's always a treat to read a novel set in an area that I'm familiar with. I've visited the 'Baltimore - Washington, DC - northern Virginia' region several times and Michael J. McCann got it right with his depiction of it. The coastal atmosphere of the Chesapeake Bay. The congested six-lane traffic around the Capitol. The rolling farmland of the landed Southern gentry. I could picture these locations in my mind and see McCann's characters moving through these environments.

But the most prominent aspect of the book's setting is its proximity to our nation's seat of power - both politically and militarily. The first murder victim's body is dumped under a bridge outside of Quantico, home of the U.S. Marine Corps. And as it turns out, all of the players involved in his capture are engaged in some kind of battle for supremacy of their own. Hank, the lead investigator, is gunning for the captain's chair, but an incompetent upstart might yank it out from under him. When the local police department finds out they're dealing with a serial killer, the FBI takes over the collection of evidence, ruffling more than few feathers in the process. When the murderer strikes twice in a two-month span, the case is turned over to a federal Special Ops task force, wresting control away from those originally assigned to the case. Firmly placing the novel in the context of both literal and figurative survival.

Everyone is looking to gain some kind of advantage over an opponent. Careers are made or broken on these high profile investigations. One mistake is all it takes to land at the bottom of the food chain. Some are gunning to catch the killer for the praise and accolades afforded to the victor. While others who work the daily grind with their heads down and their ears open, just want him off the streets and away from any future victims.

Their motives may be mixed, but they're all after the same result. How they get there is another matter entirely. From high end boutiques to abandoned warehouses, the killer leads them on a wild goose chase. He brazenly makes appearances from yuppie supermarkets to shopping malls in the midst of retail decline. He crosses the economic spectrum in search of his next target from suburban apartment complexes to Civil War era farmhouses.

He's elusive. He's smart. And he thinks he's the one in control, no matter where he goes and what adversaries he comes across. He makes it personal. Surveilling his targets. Reaching out to the lead investigators. And so far, he always been able to get away, ready to terrorize yet another town with his brand of brutality and fear. But even the best criminal masterminds make mistakes. And this time he may have gotten a little too close for comfort.

***

The Rainy Day Killer can be purchased at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBookstore, Sony, Kobo, Smashwords, Powells, Amazon UK, Amazon CAN, Fishpond AUS, Fishpond NZ

Prices/Formats: $8.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9780987708786
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
Release: August 30, 2013
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About the Author

Michael J. McCann was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He earned a B.A. (Hons.) in English from Trent University and an M.A. in English from Queen's University. He has worked as an editor and a project and training consultant and manager with the federal government. He is an author of crime fiction and supernatural thrillers. His Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series includes Blood Passage, Marcie's Murder, The Fregoli Delusion, and The Rainy Day Killer. He is also the author of the supernatural thriller The Ghost Man and is currently working on another supernatural novel.

Links to connect with Michael:
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Michael J. Bowler - Children of the Knight - Review and Giveaway

About the Book

According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in modern-day Los Angeles?

This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation.

With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army—the Children of the Knight––where even gay boys and gangsters work side by side. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and his children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo.

Can right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same.

The Knight Cycle begins . . .

My Review

Hollywood. The first thing that usually comes to mind is the glamor and decadence of the red carpet. Movie stars bedecked in diamonds waving to adoring crowds. However, the reality is quite different. The streets lined with the handprints of famous celebrities are where children abandoned by society are forced to make a living, hustling drugs or selling their bodies. It's a bleak scene, lacking hope and in need of a champion. Michael J. Bowler answers the call by heralding King Arthur from the mists of history to fight for these neglected teens in CHILDREN OF THE KNIGHT.

Arthur is oblivious to the culture of instant fame and America's obsession with reality TV. He magically wakes up in twenty-first century California, but he doesn't know how. Is it the working of Merlin? Legend has it that he would return when Britain needed him most ... but would one of her former colonies count when it comes to summoning him from the beyond? He has Excalibur. He has his throne. He has a trusty steed. All he requires are the knights he can lead into battle against poverty and despair.

But parading through the barrio to combat crime and corruption with a bunch of delinquent teens, gets him noticed. Soon the whole world is aware of his campaign through viral videos and internet postings. The media can't get enough as they follow him around, reclaiming one poor neighborhood after another. Ratings soar. Interest is high. His knights become household names. People can't get enough, hounding them for autographs and asking them to pose for cell phone pics. In a town where everyone's looking to catch a glimpse of a famous person, King Arthur and his new and improved Knights of the Round Table become the hottest stars around.

But there's a mysterious quality surrounding the whole production. Is it really King Arthur or a lunatic with delusions of grandeur or even a well-meaning person acting out one of the world's greatest hero roles? No one really knows for sure. And even though Arthur recruits over a thousand teenagers to train and fight with him, his underground lair remains a secret. He travels stealthily through the city, using the drains and grates of the sewer system. He emerges to right the wrongs of urban decay and child abuse, empowering the weak to take their city back from the corrupt politicians and dangerous criminals who think they are running the show. He gives the people the choice whether or not they wish to help him in his mission, having them reclaim ownership over the place they call home.

Maybe in a day and age where celebrities wield the most influence, Hollywood is exactly the place where King Arthur needs to reign. In spreading the message of right over might, it's no wonder he's such an intoxicating figure. Long live the ideals of King Arthur today and everyday!

***

Children of the Knight can be purchased at:
Amazon

Prices/Formats: $6.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback
Pages: 344
ISBN: 9781623806552
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Release: June 20, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of three novels - A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time, and Children of the Knight - who grew up in San Rafael, California.

He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He has already completed the two continuations of Children of the Knight that complete the trilogy - Running Through A Dark Place & And The Children Shall Lead. Both will likely be released in 2014.

Links to connect with Michael:
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Scott A. Lerner - Ruler of Demons - Review and Giveaway

About the Book

Only eleven shopping days till Christmas. And less than a week to save the world.

Three nuns—in Chicago, Paris, and Jerusalem—have been killed in a religious ritual. The choice of victims and the macabre details of their deaths indicate that someone is following a recipe provided on an ancient text—a recipe to unleash the forces of hell on earth. The final sacrifice must occur on the Winter Solstice.

Samuel Roberts, a small-town attorney in Urbana, Illinois, knows a bit about the supernatural, having triumphed at least once over the forces of evil. Thanks to a friend who is aware of Sam’s little known previous efforts on behalf of mankind, Sam is hired by a big Chicago law firm to take on a sensitive case. His mission? Nothing less than halting the impending apocalypse.

Sam and his good buddy Bob travel first to Jerusalem then Paris in a desperate race to save mankind.

Link to read an excerpt.

My Review

Why go away this Christmas season when you can travel the world with Sam Roberts in RULER OF DEMONS? The international flavor this mystery employs sets it apart from the pack, giving the reader first class access to Israeli archeological digs and sumptuous Parisian hotels. Author Scott A. Lerner records every nuance like a world traveler from the long, boring plane rides to the erratic driving behavior of taxicab drivers. He establishes the local color of each locale, making each one stand out as guideposts as the story moves along.

The action starts in Sam's suburban hometown of Urbana, Illinois. He lives in a small ranch-style home where trees line the distinctive brick streets. He has a garden he has to defend against squirrels and rabbits. Nothing too exciting, until he's summoned to Chicago by a friend in a prestigious law firm on Michigan Avenue, part of the city's famed Magnificent Mile. The art deco building screams wealth and sophistication with its marble floor and brass revolving door. Sam is wined and dined with a hearty portion of filet mignon until he agrees to help Palmer, Gotha and Smart solve a case involving the Catholic Church.

He then boards a plane to Jerusalem. The landscape of Israel shifts from fields to deserts to skyscrapers. Sam refers to his arrival saying, "The city was literally and spiritually golden. As in most ancient cities, Israel is a strange mix of historical and modern. I found it fascinating rather than unsettling." Visiting Hebrew University and haggling in the bustling marketplace, the Old City is a labyrinth of winding paths. Sam ponders his Jewish heritage at the Wailing Wall and seeks out a shady antiquities shop to purchase protection from the evil forces that are out to get him.

He's then summoned to Paris by a priest. But despite a roasted rack of lamb and carafe of red wine, he spends an unpleasant interval in cozy yet creepy farmhouse before escaping to the luxury of the city. From his hotel room window, Sam reports, "It was like peering into another time. The cobblestone square was surrounded by ageless buildings from history." The accommodations are posh from the Louis XV gilt-wood mirror to the mahogany desk and chair. He checks out the Louvre, dines atop the Eiffel Tower and faces the scene of his recurring nightmare, Notre Dame Cathedral.

Leaving the twinkling lights of Paris behind, Sam returns to Chicago where a limo driver awaits at O'Hare airport. He's quickly transported back to the art deco office building, but this time to the rooftop on the sixty-sixth floor overlooking Lake Michigan. The topiary he viewed the last time around takes on a sinister significance as things start to unravel. There are no shrimp puffs waiting for him, only danger as the wind picks up and the clouds descend.

RULER OF DEMONS gives a nice snapshot of all aspects of life from a rabbi in the Holy Land to a sexy double agent in the City of Love. It's definitely a mystery to pick up in order to sightsee and read at the same time. Lerner delivers an exciting global expedition without the need for a passport.

***

Ruler of Demons can be purchased at:
Amazon

Prices/Formats: $4.95 ebook, $13.95 paperback
Pages: 202
Publisher: Camel Press
Release: December 15, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law. Mr. Lerner lives with his wife, their two children, and their cat Fern. Lerner collects unusual antiques and enjoys gardening, traveling, reading fiction, and going to the movies. His first novel, Cocaine Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards.

Links to connect with Scott:
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April Bostic - The Howling Heart - Review and Giveaway

About the Book

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.



Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv---wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.

Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

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My Review

The tension in this novel is created in the battle between Manhattan and Mother Nature. Paige Donovan wants to have it all. But in order to be happy, she's going to have to choose her love life over her skyrocketing career. Even though she's worked her butt off for the last five years to secure her dream job at Elle magazine, she considers giving it all up in order to be with the man she loves, Riley Gray. So why can't Riley just move to New York? Because he lives in an isolated, mountainous community of paranormal wolves that are able to take human form.

Paige doesn't want to deprive Riley of his need to hunt and the position of authority he holds in the pack as beta wolf. Since childhood, he's never ventured outside of the remote town of Black River, Colorado nestled within the rugged landscape of the Rocky Mountains. He's never been to the big city because he knows he wouldn't fit in there. He belongs in the wild where he can roam free and shift into a wolf whenever he feels the urge. He doesn't have to keep his true identity hidden. He can live at one with nature by remaining on the fringes of society and staying away from humans.

The verdant forests and lush mountain streams soon work there magic on Paige. Once Riley takes her to the site of a picturesque waterfall hidden deep within the woods, her desire to return to a teeming metropolis begins to wane. She might feel scared at times living by herself in her father's rustic cabin, but she begins to embrace her new habitat once she's able to see it through Riley's eyes. Paige knows that he'll be able to keep her safe in an environment that seems dangerous and unfamiliar. As she gets to know him, she learns to appreciate the beauty of the natural world around her while falling for a man who considers it his home.

***

The Howling Heart can be purchased at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBookstore, Books a Million

Prices/Formats: $6.95 ebook, $17.62 paperback
Pages: 234
Publisher: Eternal Press
Release: August 8, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

April Bostic is a New Jersey-based, Adult Romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled "A Rose to the Fallen".



Her first short story, "Right Here, Right Now", released in January 2012, is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M. The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled "Eros, My Love", and a sexy romantic comedy entitled "Love Addiction".



After five years, she released her second novel, "The Howling Heart" in August 2013, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods. To end her busiest year in publishing, April will release her fourth short story in December 2013, an 18th century paranormal romance entitled "A Dark Scandal".

Links to connect with April:
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Joyce Zeller - Maddie's Choice - Review and Giveaway

About the Book

Romance writer Maddie Taylor is fed up with New York City. She is getting nowhere with her latest manuscript and does not believe true love exists outside of her imagination. When a friend, Jonah Spartman, dies and wills her half of his Arkansas cattle ranch, she sees the chance for a new beginning. Jonah has also left behind two orphaned great-grandsons desperate for affection and an accounting book in the red.

The other half of the failing ranch belongs to Gideon Spartman, Jonah’s grandson, who believes all capacity for love was torn from him during his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Rugged and sexy, Gideon is the enthralling physical manifestation of the hero in Maddie’s current manuscript. He is far from happy to be sharing an inheritance that is rightfully his. As she senses the need behind Gideon’s rough and unwelcoming exterior, Maddie acknowledges her own yearning for love and family.

Jonah’s will requires Maddie to stay on the ranch for three months. When that time is up, will she return to her comfortable but emotionally barren existence or embrace the challenges of her new life, which include cattle rustlers and drug dealers? Maddie’s choice proves to be far from simple.

My Review

Sometimes a cover really doesn't do a book justice. When I first saw the one for "Maddie's Choice," I immediately thought of those TV commercials for FarmersOnly.com. So boy was I mistaken, when chapter one started things off in a posh Manhattan restaurant. The juxtaposition was a little jarring, but I went with it and I'm so glad I did because the novel was great.

Zeller made a creative move by turning her setting into a personality trait. In New York, Maddie's mind is rushed, cluttered and confused. She puts up with a lot of crap, thinking she has to deal with it, when she really doesn't. The limp fish boyfriend. The endless waiting in line. The incessant city noise. No wonder the girl has writer's block.

Once she escapes to rural Arkansas, her life doesn't necessarily slow down. She's still busy planning barbecues for the whole town, and turning the ranch into a bed and breakfast, but she's happy doing these things and it shows. Plus it doesn't hurt that the rancher/soldier she's sharing a roof with is providing her with plenty of material for her new novel about a special ops hero. Yes, life is good until it's invaded by the violence of the outside world.

Men are shot. Women are beaten. War is revisited. The bucolic nature of this isolated setting is interrupted by drug deals, domestic violence and motorcycle gangs. Maddie thought she was safe in a place far from the reach of urban decay, but instead she finds a whole new level of criminal activity that's intermingled beneath the croaking frogs and dusty cowboy boots. From overdue bank debts to mental disorders, reality infiltrates Maddie's little slice of heaven.

Zeller creates a nice balance between the fiction Maddie formulates in her mind versus the tumultuous events occurring outside of her head. One inspires the other so to speak. She draws on what's happening around her to enhance her storytelling abilities, adding a flourish here and a dash of excitement there. But when her own life is in danger, she suddenly wishes these types of things only existed on the page and not in real life. She'd rather keep them trapped inside of her imagination than experience them for herself.

On the whole, Zeller expertly makes use of all the details her setting provides in order to sell her story. From the small town diner to the indistinguishable dirt roads, the book's sense of place really anchors it allowing the characters room to breathe and grow. The wide open fields, the lofty barn, the studio apartment - all add up in seducing the reader into taking an authentic jaunt through rural America.

***

Maddie's Choice can be purchased at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

Prices/Formats: $4.95 ebook, $14.95 paperback
Pages: 274
Publisher: Camel Press
Release: September 1, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Joyce Zeller has written articles for a magazine and a cooking column for a chain of suburban newspapers north of Chicago. She has written five books and published two, The Hidden History of Eureka Springs, and Accidental Alien, a work of science fiction, both available on Amazon. Her short story, “Love is a Seed,” is featured in Embrace: A Romance Collection, (2012 Goldmine Press). Joyce has served in the United States Army. As a professional perfumer (School of Perfumery, London, England) and an aroma-therapist, she made custom fragrances in her store. Her creation, Mountain Air, was declared the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Fragrance in 1965. Her latest achievement was getting elected as Alderman to the Eureka Springs City Council. Maddie’s Choice is a romance with her favorite theme, that being human is a lonely business, but for everyone there is somebody to love. It’s a matter of finding them. There will always be kids and animals in her books, and always, humor, “because life without humor is unthinkable.”

Links to connect with Joyce:
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John A. Karr - Ghostly Summons - Review & Giveaway

About the Book

Lars Kelsen doesn’t believe in psychic phenomenon. To him, visions of murder victims are a form of mental illness. Once they begin, options are limited; he can try to ignore them or deal with them by exposing a killer. Only the latter provides any semblance of peace. Temporarily, anyway. Five years into his new life as a programmer, Kelsen—ex-crime beat reporter with a penance he can never fully satisfy—sees a victim.

In person. Upright. Staring.

Typical of such past "Visits" as he calls them, he doesn’t welcome this one. The nude form of a beautiful millionairess in his cubicle means murder has come to the vacation haven known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It means he’ll have to go places he'd rather avoid. See things he'll wish he hadn’t. Do things that don't come naturally, like in-your-face confrontation and bending the law. Actually, breaking the law ... but with good intent. It also means dealing with one very attractive county coroner, who pushes his buttons in a not entirely unwelcome way.

So begins Kelsen's return to investigative reporting—complete with attempts on his life, fights, deception, and all the technological tricks, such as GPS and computer hacking, at his disposal. And maybe even finding a new love interest.

My Review

Why did I want to read this book? Because it was set in the OBX. Otherwise known as the Outer Banks, quite possibly the best stretch of beach on the entire East Coast. And why am I so prejudiced? Yep, it's because I've been there numerous times, and reading John's novel was like revisiting my favorite vacation destination via my Kindle.

The main character Lars Kelsen lives in Kill Devil Hills the site of the Wright brothers' historic flight. He attends "The Lost Colony" play, a live theater presentation about the fate of the first English settlers at Fort Raleigh and the indigenous Native American tribe known as the Croatans. He drives by the world renown Hatteras Lighthouse. He scopes out the wildlife refuge on Pea Island. He mentions Blackbeard's sunken pirate ship, the "Queen Anne's Revenge."

But it's not just the well known locations he gets right. It's the little details that nail the authenticity of the book's setting. The thin strip of land that is Highway 12 with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Pamlico Sound on the other. The bridges that are raised in the middle to allow tall boats to pass underneath. The naturalistic, untouched beaches surrounded by sand dunes. The laid back atmosphere where crime is virtually non-existant. Well, except in this story.

I give Karr five out of five stars for beautifully capturing one of my favorite places on earth. It was like being there all over again reading the pages of his book, and I love when an author can do that for me.

***

Ghostly Summons can be purchased at:
Kindle, Nook, Kobo

Prices/Formats: $3.99 ebook, paperback
Pages: 312
Publisher: Dark Continents Publishing
Release: March 14, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

John A. Karr believes fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay. Ghostly Summons is his first full-length novel for Dark Continents Publishing. DCP has also published his Weird West novella, Ujahwek. He is the author of a handful of other novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered (scheduled for reprint by World Castle Publications as Shattered), Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore. His short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review, and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue.

Karr is an ardent believer in the quote by Carl Van Doren (1885-1950), U.S. man of letters: Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to.

Links to connect with John:
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Release day celebration for A PRIVILEGE: THE ANGEL CHRONICLES, BOOK 3 by Amy Lignor

A Privilege:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 3

The beloved Angel/Warrior team face pure evil in their final climactic story!

The first time they were sent down, Irish lives were led. Emily, the angel, ended up embedded in murder and lost in the realm of true love. While Matthew, the warrior, took over a life that left blood on his hands and anger in his soul.

With their second coming, Emily found herself facing an oncoming war that brought her to the shores of America. While Matthew tried desperately to unveil the evil character of a young man who was intent on locking his partner in a ‘gilded’ cage.

Now...Emily and Matthew find that their lives are all their own. Yet, all the memories, hatred, longing and regret have come hand-in-hand with this newfound freedom.

In small town U.S.A., Matthew finds himself loving his new life. From his military school existence to a new, ‘odd’ friend who’s arrived in town, Matthew’s looking forward to graduation and heading off into a brilliant future with Emily by his side.

Emily wants nothing more than to hide. Although doing her best to fit in, she lives a life on the edge, wondering when her past love with reappear to either forgive or seek revenge on the angel who let him down. Battling the shadows that seem to be breaking her soul in two, Emily soon discovers that her small, quiet town has a secret that’s beyond dangerous...

As she and Matthew join forces to help a ‘haunted’ victim, they open the door on a mystery neither of them can believe. A true villain has returned from the past, and not even their heavenly family will be able to save them. This time they’re on their own, as they face a fight that could lead them straight to Hell…and end the angel/warrior team forever.

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Excerpt

Without a word, Matthew reached out, took Emily by the hand and pulled her down beside him. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I knew my Emily was still in there.”

Out of the blue, the room became incredibly hot, as if Gabriel had entered in order to give a lesson to his favorite students. “What?”

“That spark.” He pulled Emily’s face closer before she could push herself away. “You’ve been acting all this time like you’re just here to sit and wait it out until you’re lucky enough to go Home. But you’re still in there, Emily. You still have all that energy and belief in there and you want to do something. That’s the partner I know.”

Shaking her head, Emily listened to her own breathing intensify as she stared at his full lips and wondered why she felt so completely and utterly strange...vulnerable even. “I want to help this girl. This is a job, maybe my only job down here. She saw a ghost and she wants me to help her out, that’s all.”

“And you will.” Matthew captured Emily’s lips, and she could no longer feel the breath in her lungs. Completely different than the one kiss they’d shared up above so long ago, this one was far more demanding, as if Matthew was a young man determined to kiss his human love for the very first time.

Sitting back, Emily practically jumped off the bed.

“I’m sorry,” she heard him whisper behind her. “I guess I was just excited to see you again.”

Not trusting her voice, she remained silent.

“We have jobs, but we also have a life to live. Our own lives this time around. Maybe you should think about adding that into your angelic plans.” Matthew continued softly, “Jason isn’t here, Emily.”

The name being said out loud sent a chill down Emily’s spine. It reminded her of the vow she’d made a long time ago—a vow that an angel couldn’t break.

She cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter if he’s here. We were sent to do a job, and maybe helping this little girl prove her story is what I need to begin.”

Standing up, Matthew looked as if he was a man who wanted nothing more than to turn back the clock and erase the name he’d spoken aloud. He walked to the open window. “Well, I hope the job goes well. Good luck with it.”

“Matthew,” Emily took a step toward him. “Don’t leave like this.”

He nodded at the book on the bed. “You have your mission, Emily...your job. Ghosts, goblins, lost souls—knock yourself out.” He took a deep breath. “I wonder when you’re going to figure out that the living souls around you would like some of your attention as well.”

Closing her eyes, Emily shed silent tears as she heard his feet hit the ground beneath her window. A friend, a partner, the one who actually listened, was now just an angry young man racing back to The Armory—a place where warriors reigned.

Emily sighed. She’d done it again. No matter how hard she tried to be good, her mouth always got her into trouble. She needed Matthew to understand. She’d made a promise to a young man a long time ago; a promise that was supposed to last for eternity. How was she to know at the time that their eternity would include death by her hand? Had the second time around broken their vow? Emily had no idea. But whatever happened she could not and would not offer Matthew her heart if payment was still due for her past sins. Above all, Matthew was the last person who deserved to be punished for her mistakes.

Author Amy Lignor

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

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