New Release Broken Arrow (Banyon Pride Series Book 2) by Donna L. Stephens

 

When Laila Sutton’s father dies, she is left scrambling to try to figure out how to hold on to their rundown Arkansas farmhouse, her childhood home.  Baking cookies and gathering eggs to sell is not going to be much of a livelihood for her. Now that she no longer has the responsibility of caring for her ill, alcoholic father, she is going to have to go to work at MeeMaw’s Diner just to survive.

Just when it seems things can’t get any worse, her father’s attorney informs her that, in his revised will, her father has deeded half of the house and property to their wealthy neighbor, Cleve Atwell—and the only way she can gain it back is to marry him! But Laila dreams of dark-eyed Sky Banyon, a local veterinarian and childhood classmate who has returned from Wyoming recently to their hometown of Mulberry.

In turmoil, Laila knows Sky is the last man she should want to turn to—he’s hurt her before. But could things be different this time? A stolen kiss that touches her soul makes her believe they could.  Though Cleve offers her the security she needs to survive, she doesn’t love him. It rankles that she’s living in a house which is now half his—and she suspects Cleve somehow manipulated her sick father.

When Sky hires Laila to tutor his nine-year-old son, Blaze, he confides in her about his unhappy marriage and the death of his wife. Laila begins to understand him, and her own heart, better than she ever has before. With her wedding to Cleve set to take place in less than a month, Laila knows she can’t hold off forever. Is there a future for her with Sky? Though he’s never told Laila he loved her, the kiss they shared said more than mere words ever could…but is it too late?   

EXCERPT

     When he stood, his tall frame loomed over her. “Lai?” his voice growled.
     She looked up. He had a neat moustache and short beard, and his dark hair curled around his ears just below his felt fedora. His cheekbones were planed sharp, his eyes a deep brown behind his rounded tortoise shell glasses. She frowned. Could it be?
     “Sky? Sky Banyon?” Laila swallowed.
     “Yes. I came back to our Arkansas ranch. Been in Wyoming several years.” He reached out his hand to shake hers. “Laila Sutton,” he said, his voice taking on a light tone. “Will wonders never cease? I thought you’d probably left our small town by now. Good to see—”
     It was Sky, all right. She hid her hand behind her back. “Get out,” she said, her voice clipped. “Move away from my dog.”
     “Please forgive me, Lai.”
     “My name is Laila,” she said, frowning.
     He took off his hat and raked back his hair. “I’m really sorry. I came careening around the corner in my truck, my mind on getting to work, not thinking about anything running out in front of me.” He gave a long sigh. “Your hound needs stitches. But he should heal just fine.”
     “I can’t believe you’ve done it again.” Laila glared up at him, her hand caressing the beating pulse in Jag’s neck. “Wasn’t once enough? You let my other dog die ten years ago. Daisy should’ve lived.”

     

New Release -- Cursed (Legends of Winatuke Book 2) by Sarah J. McNeal

When Hawk McKnight’s younger brother falls to his death in the mystical Lake of Sorrows, Hawk blames himself. The discovery that Peregrine is actually alive is a double-edged sword—for Perry remembers nothing of his former life, and has taken up a new beginning with a band of Gypsies. The only woman who can heal Peregrine is someone Hawk loves deeply…someone who has rejected him. But if there’s a chance that Doctor Emma Dawson can help his brother, Hawk will swallow his pride and ask for her help.

Emma Dawson carries her own emotional baggage. The only survivor of a horrendous family tragedy, she is a burned-out doctor with no time for a personal life, holding on to the dreams of what she once believed her medical practice should be. She knows the secrets of Hawk’s family, and the beings who live in a dimension called Winatuke, a place of magic and evil creatures. Though she and Hawk were once deeply in love, after the hand life has dealt her, she believes sending him away is the only way to protect him.

But when Hawk turns to Emma to help him save Perry, what choice does she have? She must face her fears and go with him to Winatuke if there is the slightest possibility of saving Hawk’s brother. Can they break the curse that holds Peregrine in its grip? Or will the secrets hidden within the depths of the Lake of Sorrows drag them all into an evil enchantment?

EXCERPT

     A messenger drew Hawk from his morose thoughts.  

     "My liege, I do not wish to disturb you, but Domingomae has delivered a message for you from Prince Raphael." Mericet entered the tent with a sealed parchment in his hand.

     Hawk took the message and noticed that the boy's hair was wet and his clothes damp. "Water's scarce out here, Mericet. Mind you don't waste it by bathing in the middle of the day."

     "Yes, my liege." Mericet nodded his head obediently and waited respectfully by the opening of the tent for further instructions.

     Pulling the dagger from his wide leather belt, Hawk cut the seal from the parchment and began to read. The first words grabbed his attention immediately. "My God," he gasped aloud, "Peregrine is alive." He glanced at Mericet. "My brother is alive."

     Mericet nodded. "That is good, my liege. I am glad for you."

     Hawk leaped from his chair and paced as he continued to read aloud. Your brother is living among the Gypsies, playing his violin, and performing his water show twice a day. But he is altered, Hawk. You must come to Vel’ka Mulano with all due haste.

     He stopped pacing. "Altered? What could he mean?" He shrugged his shoulders. "It's enough that he's alive. When that fiend, Inx, threw him into the Lake of Sorrows, we were all certain Peregrine was dead. I thought I would never see him again."

     Emotion choked at the back of his throat. He stared at the parchment as if he held the Declaration of Independence in his hands. A weight that had pressed upon his heart for months lifted, and he felt as if he could breathe again. The torment of guilt he bore for his inability to save Peregrine withdrew from his spirit.

     

New Release — Einar of Vindemiatrix by Michael E. Gonzales

When King Thurban the Great is murdered at the hand of his younger brother, very few of his loyal knights survive. Sir Einar, one of the fiercest knights of King Thurban’s realm, has lost his entire family in the carnage. Giving up on a life of his own, he chooses to travel and teach others the principles of chivalry. For those who believe in a knightly code, he will also show them the deadly way to wield a sword in battle—including Ascella, a young woman who convinces him she is an apt student.

Though many years have passed since Einar’s painful losses and King Thurban the Great’s murder, the knight finds a way to avenge his honorable liege—but he cannot do it alone. To return Vindemiatrix to the rightful heir and restore the holdings to their former glory, he needs magic—the most powerful magic he can find.

With the help of a powerful witch, a dragon, an army of centaurs, and beautiful Ascella, Einar is determined to find a way to make things right once more in the land he loved. But he’s never fought an enemy so prepared to hold Vindemiatrix in its powerful grip—and this is a battle to the death. Can he risk losing everything he holds dear a second time?

EXCERPT

     Thurban laid his bloody hand upon Einherjar’s shoulder, and glancing about at his ruined castle, and the burnt lands surrounding it, he exhaled slowly, and lamented, “The end of my reign is in sight, the end of Vindemiatrix.” The king beckoned to his generals, and with their aid, withdrew to the throne room to make final preparations.

     Sir Einherjar remained on the last wall of the castle’s inner defenses. The hated enemy threw themselves upon them yet again.

     “Look hither!” a voice shouted. Einherjar saw the man, among the many atop the wall, pointing to the north. Turning, he beheld a sight more terrible than an enraged dragon. The keep was ablaze, its windows belched black smoke.

     “The women and children!” someone screamed.

     Murfrid, standing near, turned to Einherjar, “I’m sorry for you, Sir Knight, I truly am.”

Einherjar stood transfixed, his mind wrapped in pain, disbelieving his own eyes. His breath, and his heart frozen―

     

Across a Sea of Stars by Michael Gonzales

Across a Sea of Stars by Michael E. Gonzales – February, 2018 #blogabookscene #Spaceopera #PrairieRosePub @PrairieRosePub #FireStarPress

I sat editing another story the other day when I stopped to consider just how many times I have read, reread, and read this story again and again (was that redundant? It was meant to be.) Then it dawned on me, I will never know what it is to read any of my stories for the first time. And no, I don’t count all the work that went into creating the story as the first time.

I have literally spent a week writing a single paragraph, to get it just the way I want it. A paragraph that a reader will gloss over in a second or two.

I’ll never know the reaction of hitting that first plot twist, never know the feeling of tension that I worked so hard to build.

And the climax, as well as the ending. What did if feel like for them?

Book sales and reviews are a measure of how well I’ve written, but I will never know the feeling of that first-time reader.

Makes me a little sad. What better way to judge your own work than to read it for the first time?

Across a Sea of Stars

From an inexplicable anomaly on the surface of the Moon, an astronaut, Captain Cris Salazar, is mysteriously conveyed to a distant planetary system halfway across the galaxy. At the insistence of a strange old man, he departs on a trek across the planet thinking he is seeking someone with the ability to send him home, but he is being manipulated, and soon his strange situation becomes immensely complicated.

His epic quest sees him ally with an alien woman, a near giant, and a robotic intelligence.

With these three he must face a vast army with no fear of pain or death, an enemy with supernatural powers, a madman with a vast armada, and a dark secret. How can Cris possibly hope to return home…Across a Sea of Stars?

EXCERPT:

Tattie simultaneously hit the launch button and the violent detonation threw Cris against the padded wall just under the hatch. The escape pod hurtled away from the ship. Instantly, Tattie saw that they were about to collide with the rear of the spinning ship. "Brace yourself!" she called back to Cris, and then fired her engine at full throttle. In her monitor, she saw the stern coming closer. The great ship appeared to be ablaze as the friction with the atmosphere increased. The G-forces on their bodies climbed to incredible proportions as Tattie pushed the little pod to get out of the way. It looked as if she were not going to make it. They had cleared the hull, but one of the extended engine housings was now headed right for them, a collision was inevitable. There were only seconds remaining. Tattie shouted over her shoulder, "I love you, Cris!"

The moment Tattie looked back at her monitor, the heat from the reentry melted through the engine's support, and the entire housing broke loose and was pulled down into the planet's atmosphere. The escape pod then bolted free and into open space.

"Cris—Cris, we are free!" Tattie screamed.

"We made it? We're still alive?"

Now Tattie's voice was much more serious, "Cris, come here and look at this."

Across a Sea of Stars is available on Amazon.

 

Images by Mike Gonzales.

Order Across a Sea of Stars here:

https://www.amazon.com/Across-Sea-Stars-Unborn-Galaxy/dp/1984038060/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=httpliviajwac-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=b14117cef21e9d34ec121910787c5d19&creativeASIN=1984038060

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Moon-Rising-Unborn-Galaxy-ebook/dp/B01CBNSAEG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Broken-Moon-Unborn-Galaxy/dp/1540645681/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Web site:  http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/home.html

Follow me on Face Book:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010275572869

Labels: Across a Sea of Star, Action, Action Adventure, Alien worlds, Aliens, battle, Dark Moon Rising, Michael E. Gonzales, mikegonzalesauthor.com, Romance, science fiction, syfy

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Labels: #FireStarPress, #NewRelease, Across a Sea of Star, Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, Alien woman, Alien worlds, Aliens, Magic, Prairie Rose Pub, robots, Romance, science fiction, Space Opera, witches and wizards

Across a Sea of Stars by Michael E. Gonzales – February, 2018 #blogabookscene #Spaceopera #PrairieRosePub @PrairieRosePub #FireStarPress

Across a Sea of Stars by Michael E. Gonzales – February, 2018 #blogabookscene #Spaceopera #PrairieRosePub @PrairieRosePub #FireStarPress

Blog-a-Book-Scene is a monthly themed blogging endeavor from a group of authors who love to share excerpts from their stories. Find us on Twitter with the hashtag #blogabookscene and #PrairieRosePub.

My third novel, Across a Sea of Stars, is now available, and I can’t tell you how excited I am. I hope everyone who reads my story enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Almost all the main characters are based on actual people I have known, some I served with. I miss the time I spent on Nazer, and hopefully, you will too.

February’s theme is All you need is love.  The excerpt below is from my Science-Fiction novel, Across a Sea of Stars.

EXCERPT:

"Wow." Cris said.

"Is that an oath?" Tattie asked.

"No—it's just—wow. The moonlight off your face is really bewitching,"

"You think me a Sorgina?"

"No, Tattie, I—"

"You think I've cast a spell on you?"

"I didn't say—"

"Then I'll have to break that spell, won't I?"

Her arms slowly encircled his neck and she kissed him, pulling her body into his. His arms, slowly at first, engulfed her. In their embrace, they slowly sank below the water. Cris hardly noticed. The warmth she brought now exploded inside him. He felt a joy he'd never known, he felt stirrings deep inside his soul that he had never felt or even imagined possible. His desire for her was bound to another feeling he did not recognize; their combined heat melted the two emotions, and together they combined into one. The seething heat of his passion fired a furnace within him that powered a new engine whose pistons hammered in his chest and in his mind.

The water around them seemed to boil and a light formed where their breasts met. The light grew in intensity until the entire pool was aglow.

Tattie and Cris were both blinded by the light's brilliance. Their eyes closed tight, but their lips never parted and the water seemed to evaporate around them. Then the rocks, the forest, and the planet itself all dissolved until they floated free in a swirl of stars. A yellow light ripped the firmament apart and Cris's eyes opened. It was dawn and he and Tattie lay naked upon the water's edge, where they had slept.

Across a Sea of Stars is available on Amazon.

  

Images by Mike Gonzales, one by NASA.

Next month’s theme, “Beware the Ides of March."

Until then,

Mike

Michael E. Gonzales

Order Across a Sea of Stars here:

https://www.amazon.com/Across-Sea-Stars-Unborn-Galaxy/dp/1984038060/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=httpliviajwac-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=b14117cef21e9d34ec121910787c5d19&creativeASIN=1984038060

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Moon-Rising-Unborn-Galaxy-ebook/dp/B01CBNSAEG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Broken-Moon-Unborn-Galaxy/dp/1540645681/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Web site:  http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/home.html

Follow me on Face Book:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010275572869

New Release -- It’s Only Make Believe by Sarah J. McNeal

x

Beautiful June Wingate’s perfect marriage is in shambles—and she hasn’t even left the wedding reception! When she overhears two gossips discussing the real reason Kit Wilding married her, June believes there must be some truth to it—after all, things have happened just the way they said.  Is her marriage only make believe? Trust is hard for June to accept, and now, her faith in her husband has been broken—along with her fragile heart.

Kit Wilding has loved June since the moment he laid eyes on her—a vision in pink that he couldn’t get out of his mind. Now that he’s married her, he can’t understand the changes that have suddenly turned her secretive and distant. How can he make things right between them when he doesn’t know what he’s up against?

But the tables are turned when June’s father, a pillar of the community, is accused of a crime that brings shame on the Wingate family—along with prison time. Kit Wilding’s not the kind of man to give up easily, but with his budding political career at stake, will he be able to hold his marriage together? Or will he be forced to admit IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE…

EXCERPT

     A loud slap echoed through the house. June’s hand stung as she placed it back in the pocket of her dressing gown, part of her vast trousseau paid for by her parents.

     Kit stepped back and rubbed his reddened cheek with his left hand while Snort, Kit’s dog, barked. June couldn’t help but notice the flash of his golden wedding band in the light of the dressing room. Her heart clenched at the sight of it. They’d been married only a few hours, and now this…

     “Hush that barking, Snort.” The dog quieted, but kept a sharp eye on June, just in case. Kit glanced from the dog to June. “What the hell was that for, June? Did I do something wrong by trying to kiss my wife?”

     “You bet you did. I thought you loved me, and now…”