Book Spotlight: Kicker: The Forgotten Front by @rgreyhoover #ASMSG #VeteransDay

In honor of Veteran's Day, I am honored to support author R. Grey Hoover with the release of his latest novel Kicker: The Forgotten Front.

Kicker: The Forgotten Front
by R. Grey Hoover
Genre: Historical Thriller

Synopsis:

World War II is raging. A young father must choose between his family and duty to his country- a decision that could cost him everything.

Based on actual experiences of United States veterans and official military aviation history records from World War II, this is the thrilling story of a family’s journey into war. While his loved ones struggle with shortages and rationing at home, Sam endures relentless Japanese attacks against his unarmed aircraft over the treacherous mountains and torrid jungles of Asia. His job is to drop supplies to Merrill’s Marauders and over 750,000 allied soldiers fighting in the perilous jungles of Burma. If the enemy is not stopped, the American way of life will end.


Excerpt:

April 4, 1944 - Dinjan Airbase, India

Sam and Bobby Joe were totally exhausted when they crawled into their charpoys. The harrowing events of the day had taken its toll on them physically and mentally. In spite of the heat and noise of the jungle, Sam felt the blessed relief of sleep approaching soon after his head hit the pillow. However, as he drifted off, a feeling of unease came over him. It was a feeling that something was wrong, not here in India, but at home. He didn’t know if he felt uneasy because he still hadn’t received mail from home or because of some unknown reason, but the feeling stayed with him until he finally succumbed to his exhaustion and slipped into a deep sleep.

Thankfully, his slumber was not disturbed by his recurring nightmare, and he slept soundly until the wee hours of the morning when he suddenly awoke not knowing what had disturbed him. A light rain was falling outside, and except for an occasional flash of distant lightning, the basha was in total darkness. He lay very still, listening to the sounds around him. He strained his hearing, but no sound came except for the steady breathing of the sleeping men around him. After several minutes, he relaxed, thinking his imagination was playing tricks on him. He was almost asleep again when he thought he detected a faint unfamiliar sound coming from somewhere in the basha. Once again, he listened intently, not sure he had heard anything; but then he heard the sound again—only this time it seemed closer, and he was sure it came from within the basha. He couldn’t quite place the sound, but it seemed like something soft brushing against an object. He listened closely, but all was silent. None of the other men in the basha stirred, and after an extended period of silence, he relaxed once again in anticipation of sleep.

He was in that dreamy state just before slumber when he felt the presence of something or someone nearby. Once again, his senses came to full alert, and he made a conscious effort not to move. He listened carefully, bringing all his senses to bear. He could see or hear nothing, and yet he was sure something was there. He was startled when someone at the other end of the room moved, but then all was silent once again. He was lying on his back, so he slowly moved his head to the right and scanned the darkness.

At first he saw nothing, but then attention was drawn to a slight movement at the foot of his bed. He couldn’t make out what it was. It appeared to be an undistinguishable shadow against the darker background of the room. As he watched, the shadow moved, and he held his breath as it silently glided along the side of his bed. There was no sound as it moved, and it slowly drew nearer and stopped near the head of his bed. He could tell that it was something large, but due to the extreme darkness, he was unable to see what it was. His instincts told him this was something dangerous and evil, and the hairs on the nape of his neck stood erect. At that moment, a distant flash of lightning faintly illuminated the scene, and in that instant of light, Sam could see the large form of a tiger standing beside him.

The animal’s head was enormous. Its eyes, momentarily reflecting light from the faraway lightning, gave the beast an evil, devil-like appearance. This was death incarnate staring directly at him.

Sam was frozen with fear, and his heart seemed to stop. His .45-caliber pistol hung on the wall not three feet away, and he cursed himself for not keeping it inside the mosquito netting with him. He knew the tiger could see that he was awake, and he feared any movement would cause it to attack. The animal stepped closer, and Sam could see its dim outline and smell its damp fur and the fetid odor of its breath. The tiger appeared to know its victim was helpless. The great beast took its time as it sniffed the mosquito netting as if testing its strength. Slowly it raised a huge paw and placed it against the puny impediment. The tiger’s claws caught in the netting, and with a mighty swipe, it ripped the flimsy material away from the bed.

Buy links: Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle CA |

About the Author:

R. Grey Hoover is an Air Force veteran who was born and raised in the wooded hills of Pennsylvania where this historical novel begins and ends. The novel is based on the actual experiences of his father and other veterans in the CBI theater of World War II.

Media Links:
WebsiteBlog | Pinterest | 2018 Tribute to Veterans

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Book spotlight on Still Crazy by @DianaLRubino #BYNR #IARTG

About Still Crazy by Diana Rubino:

Can an obsession continue from beyond the grave?

Alyssa Tyler and Clay Kearns are a hot item on the NJU campus until she’s expelled for protesting the Iraq war, and he must quit when he loses his grant. But the daughter of a U.S. Senator and the son of working class immigrants are a doomed mismatch. Their relationship suffers his jealous tirades, but she always goes back for more of his overbearing control tactics.

Amidst this turmoil, Alyssa falls in love with budding rock star Jeremy Knight. Jeremy is gay, but she’s convinced she can 'convert' him.

Alyssa balances Clay and Jeremy so delicately that neither knows the other exists, until they meet face to face—actually, bumper to bumper. Clay, stalking Alyssa, follows them in a high-speed chase that ends in Clay’s near-fatal crash with a truck. Stricken with guilt, she visits him in ICU and begs his forgiveness.

Her logical side knows Clay’s obsession with her is unhealthy, but she still carries this needy attachment to him. On one level, she’s flattered by all the attention he lavishes on her—the attention she never got from her birth parents, who abandoned her, or her adoptive parents, who palmed her off on abusive nannies. 

As they pursue careers that take them to different states, they remain at a safe distance.

Alyssa meets her hero, Ryan Fulton, a sincere, compassionate human being who earns her trust and her love.

She catches a television show hosted by Kayla Shepard, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Dr. Kayla’s guests on this episode are a codependent couple. Alyssa feels as if she’s looking into a mirror. Stunned by what she’s just discovered, she contacts Dr. Kayla, desperate for her help. The doctor offers to take her into recovery for free if she’ll appear on the show.

During her sessions with the doctor, she relives her abandonment by her birth parents, her neglect by her adoptive parents, the abuse from nannies. The doctor asks if she’s ever been in an abusive relationship—yes. She’s also attracted to men she can’t have—her adoptive father, an old flame who joined the Navy, her gay heartthrob Jeremy.      

Dr. Kayla explains all the symptoms of codependency—the repeated patterns of childhood, how she’s dependant on this behavior in others, in fear of rejection. Now she knows what her problem is, and continues treatment until her mental state is finally healthy.

Clay, now a successful partner in a brokerage firm, concocts extreme plots to stalk her. He snaps photos of her with a telephoto lens. He creates a false identity to friend and follow her on social media sites so he can keep tabs on her. She’s never far from his sight, even though she’s 250 miles away and engaged. His excessive spending on psychics and spiritualists drives his wife away. Through one medium, a Native American spirit guide convinces Clay that he and Alyssa are destined for each other for eternity.          

In Clay’s most daring attempt to win her back, he tries to wreck her beach wedding by abducting her. His arrest and resulting prison sentence assure her he’s finally out of her life.

After he’s released from prison on good behavior, his spirit guide lures him to the Murray Springs Paleo-Indian Site in Sierra Vista, Arizona. 

Now happily married to Ryan with three adopted children, Alyssa publishes her diaries as a memoir, to help other codependent women. It hits the bestseller lists, and she becomes a motivational speaker as she adopts several orphaned children from around the world.         

Human remains are found in the Sierra Vista desert. DNA testing is inconclusive. Alyssa’s cell phone rings on the anniversary of the day she met Clay, at the exact time, 12:25 p.m., with a song. It’s 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police.

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In 1989, author Diana Rubino took a detour from her usual genre and wrote a thriller about a stalking ex. It was set in the present, then, but over the years she updated and revised it many times. The primary market is new adults between 18 and 25 years of age.

It's Fatal Attraction meets Good Will Hunting as the story flashes back from the NJU campus to the present.

Excerpt from Still Crazy:

She brought her car in for servicing the next morning, parking in his lot next to a red and white taxi. Her mechanic called her a little after two. “Your car is ready, Alyssa. Hey, do you know you have a GPS tracking device attached underneath it?”

“What?” She shook her head, baffled. “I have a GPS in the dashboard, but not under the car.”

“Oh, yeah, you do. This is a tracking device. Somebody has a GPS and a dot will flash on the screen to show your exact location, as long as you’re within range. You want me to take it out?”

She instantly knew who this ‘somebody’ was. She felt as if a ton of bricks clobbered her square in the face.

Purchase Still Crazy:

Amazon paperback | Kindle | Solstice Publishing | BookLinker |

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Release Tour: Sunstone by @HBarboWriting Holly Barbo #steampunk #thriller #giveaway

BOOK REVIEW: True Devotion by Dee Henderson

Ideally, a reader should learn something from a book -- even an escapist fiction novel. From True Devotion I learned less about Navy SEAL operations and the power of love and faith over grief and guilt than about my own reading preferences.
 
Lifeguard Kelly Jacobs, widow of a SEAL killed in action three years prior to the story's opening, decides it's high time to begin moving past her grief. Only one hitch: she comes to this decision in the middle of the open ocean in a riptide current beside the teen she swam out to rescue, with darkness and hypothermia descending fast.

Enter Lieutenant Joe "Bear" Baker, her late husband's platoon leader and best friend, and Kelly's self-appointed knight in shining armor. Since SEALs protect their own, especially the widows, Joe and his team assist the Coast Guard search and rescue effort. Naturally, he arrives in the nick of time to pluck Kelly and the teen from the ocean. Kelly remains awake just long enough to recognize her rescuer and offer him a groggy "I love you."

Those three unexpected yet heartfelt words send Kelly and Joe into an emotional tailspin during the ensuing weeks as they explore their burgeoning feelings against the challenging backdrop of grief, survivor's guilt and backsliding faith. Add to the mix one ardent admirer -- Charles, the wealthy, widowed father of the teen Kelly risked her life to save. More closely bound than initial appearances indicate, the three adults become ensnared in a web of espionage, vendetta and betrayal -- a lethal combination even love finds difficult to conquer.

A "suspense" story generally keeps the reader guessing about the villain's plans and motives until the denouement. A "thriller" may leave the detective in the dark for a long time, but the author reveals everything to the reader along the way. While reading True Devotion (which by those definitions falls into the "thriller" category), I realized that I much prefer a suspense plot. I relish trying to figure out whodunnit and why. In this book Henderson gives the reader maybe half a page between dropping a clue and clarifying its meaning, thus ratcheting up the predictability factor and diminishing overall enjoyment.

The novel's structure also struck me as problematic. The plot seesawed between the present and the past, revealed through several flashbacks from both Kelly and Joe's viewpoints. Such pace-killing temporal shifts caused me to wonder whether the author would have been better advised to open the story with the death of Kelly's husband and express the dark emotional issues firsthand.

However, if you don't mind the flashbacks or having the mystery elements explained on the fly, then you could do a whole lot worse than read this book. Sometimes love needs a hefty dose of renewed faith to help it vanquish the obstacles looming in its path, the truest reminder True Devotion can offer.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)