Enjoy strong women in authentic settings. Eighteenth century intrigue, adventure, mystery, and romance, all for a 1.50 a book.
If you've never used Smashwords you're missing out. A simple purchase of an ebook, no frills, no fuss. The site is full of top quality work.
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Purchase at Smashwords
Another in my series of book reviews of small to medium press authors. The Big Guys can't have all the fun.
Death by Sample Size
Ditzy Swimwear vice president Holly finds a dead body in an
elevator on page two! Bunny Frank, an important fashion buyer, is sprawled out
with a bathing suit stuck in her mouth. As you get to know more about Bunny, it’s
not who wanted to kill her, but who didn’t.
Thwarted love, bribery, and Bunny’s arrogance irritated everyone
in the Los Angeles clothing industry. There are multiple characters introduced
fast and furious in the beginning, each with their own quirk, and extreme dislike
of Bunny. A few had even threatened her.
I learned fascinating
details about the cut-throat fashion business. Like her character Holly, Author
Susie Black is a successful apparel sales executive. The back-biting and off-beat
humor had me chuckling. Holly is a strong woman, living in a houseboat, who
even tries to play sleuth after someone is arrested. Did they really commit the
crime? Even a villainess deserves justice. A fun, light beach read.
I'm starting a new feature, writing book reviews of up and coming authors, and small or medium press authors.
Today's review is Heartquake by Terry Newman.
About the author: Terry Newman has always loved words. As the editor-in-chief of a national natural health publishing company, she has written books on a variety of topics, as well as writing direct-mail advertising.
She’s also worked as a reporter, a communications specialist and a freelance writer. She’d had clients worldwide, and researched and wrote hundreds of eBooks and print books as well as ghostwrote novellas and short stories.
REVIEW, FIVE STARS: Riley is a billionaire trying to simplify his life by moving back to his Ohio home town. Charlee runs a coffee shop and is anxious for a huge change in her life. It's an immediate attraction when he walks into her shop. But Riley hides a dark secret. He's a lionshifter, his family notorious in decades past. He and his brother both change into big cats and roam the city at night. Will Charlee accept this bizarre aspect of the man she loves, or is she hiding her own secret?
The romance happens quickly, but the pace is brisk. Both Riley and Charlee are likeable characters. Riley runs a buy-out business. She's given more rounding out by being urged to run for city council, and fight the fracking that might be causing health problems in local children. Newman's prose is smooth and highly readable. You will enjoy following the love trials and adventures of Riley and Charlee.
Purchase: HEARTQUAKE
Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.
Here is an excerpt as they try:
Eseld finished her punch and looked away.
“I was being friendly with the viscount, on a purely decent
level, on my part.”
“I’m worried about you. Men can take advantage.
As in being purely mercenary.” Robert’s emotion rose to the
surface, rawer than he wished. “I want you to be very
cautious.”
“I’m aware of greedy men. And I’m not
romantically involved, if that’s what concerns you.”
She didn’t sound angry, more a question. A yearning?
“Are you collecting friends or inquiring where you
should not?” He toned down his rhetoric, not wishing to
upset her.
“That again. You think me foolish, or incapable.”
Her reply was soft despite what she stated. She didn’t
deny her motives.
He moved closer. His heartbeat thudded; was she
investigating a possible spy as he first surmised? “You
are one of the most capable women I know. Please,
confide in me.” They appeared to still dance around one
another—this time with words.
She turned and faced him. “I don’t want us to be at
odds.” She paused for a moment and lightly touched his
stock. “Is that all you seek, me to confide? Am I but a
contrary girl who must be guided by you?”
“Truthfully, as we were always truthful in our
youth, I want to kiss you.” He cupped her upper arms
and couldn’t believe he’d said that aloud. Her jasmine
perfume invaded his senses. “Pardon my boldness. I’m
not of your station anymore, am I?”
“That doesn’t matter to me,” she whispered. “But
aren’t you still in mourning?”
Is the notorious spy tracking them even at Truro's famous assembly rooms?
Purchase from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Entice-Spy-Diane-Scott-Lewis-ebook/dp/B09D9ZCRKX
Today I blog about Pierre, my first Villainous POV. It was fun to write a character who doesn't have to follow the rules, though he does have a motive for his wicked ways.
Visit my blog post on Brenda Whiteside's blog.
https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-worthy-villain-for-wickedwednesday-by.html
Enjoy Pierre's first scene as he surveys the people he wishes to destroy in the name of Equality during the French Revolution.
I might need to write more villains, and get deep into their points of view, I so enjoyed being Wicked. Of course, my villain gets his just desserts at the end.
After three frustrating months of being unable to log onto my website, I decided to go Blog only. And that's been a challenge as well. Getting your domain name, plastered all over my banners, bookmarks, etc, to point toward the blog took several hours of phone talks with my provider.
I copied my research links then realized later they weren't live.
So here I go, trying to resurrect them.
First my Research Links:
Eighteenth Century:
18th Century Resources:
Handbook of costumes:
http://www.theweebsite.com/18cgarb/1700.html
FRENCH REVOLUTION
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/modsbook13.asp
NAPOLEON
https://www.napoleonguide.com/
https://www.napoleon-series.org/
CORNWALL
http://recipesfromacornishkitchen.blogspot.com/2015/01/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/HistoricSitesinCornwall/
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/overview-american-revolutionary-war
I'm sure I'll have to do this all over again to put these on a side panel.
“A rich plot with building suspense, the writing is perfect and flows well. I loved this story.” ~History and Women~
To purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point
To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL
Read an Excerpt:
A rough hand grabbed her arm.
Yelena lurched back with a gasp, her arm in a painful vice
of fingers.
Seger Trowbridge Sr. glowered over her, his beer belly pushing
against her like a mountain of meat. “Hey, girl. I want to talk to you.” His
words weren’t friendly.
“Grandpa!” Seger yelled in delight.
She tugged free of the old man’s grip, her heart pounding. She
rubbed her arm. “Good afternoon, sir. What are you doing here?” she asked through
tight lips.
Trowbridge shoved back his beat-up cap, ridging his thinning
brown hair. His faded shirt, missing a button, barely reached his frayed jeans.
“I want to know what kind of woman tells her husband not to do his job.” His
pudgy face, burnished from years on the river, pulled into a sneer. An older, ugly
version of her husband. “Do you wear the pants in your family, or does Luke?”
She should have known. “I’m only concerned for his well-being.”
She grasped her son’s hand and stepped away from the whiskey fumes. “Can we talk
about this another time?”
A time not in front of her boy, she wanted to add.
“Don’t turn your men into wimps,” he growled. “Women stay
home and take care of the house and family, they don’t run it.”
A gentleman doesn’t accost women on the street. But
Papa Seger was far from that. She wondered what Luke had said to the old brute.
Her body stiff, she wanted to stride away in cold silence.
“You have your opinion.” And apparently he’d given Luke a similar
opinion on women and dredging. She stepped around him, but her son bounced on
his toes, waiting in earnest to be acknowledged.
“Come here, boy.” Trowbridge lifted the child from her grasp
and scooped him into a bear hug. Seger squirmed and giggled. The old man’s only
soft spot seemed to be his grandson. “Never let your mommy make you a sissy.”
He glared at her again. “Tell her you want a brother.”
“That is between me and Luke,” she said as calmly as possible,
her anger flaring. Was no one happy unless she was spewing out children?
“Well, you stay out of men’s business.” His lined forehead grooved
even more. “You’re a Virginian an’ should be firmly behind him. You don’t know
nothing ‘bout what’s goin’ on.”
Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.
To purchase, click HERE I wrote this novel after watching a tv show about the German occupation...
