The Good Spy Dies Twice by Mark Hosack @markhosack #Suspense #Thriller #PageBurner

Blurb:

Jake Boxer, investigative journalist and host of the conspiratorial news show Bullseye, is in serious trouble. Not only is his soundman murdered by Russian intelligence agents while reporting on a secretive New World Order, but his network cancels his show, leaving Jake humiliated and spiraling into a deep dark depression.

Years later, a condemned murderer, who claims he was abandoned by the CIA, and who starred in an early episode of Bullseye, is finally executed for killing two supposed Soviet spies back in the 1970’s.

Jake Boxer, still trying to piece his life back together, is on his honeymoon in a posh ski resort in the Alaskan mountains when he gets word of the inmate’s execution…and the old killer’s final words: “The good spy dies twice.”

Those five words, seemingly meant for Jake, draw the ex-reporter out of his forced retirement and into a complex and deadly global conspiracy involving his newlywed wife, the secretive New World Order, and the hotel’s hundred or so “guests.”

Everyone is a suspect.

Described as James Bond in a Stephen King novel, The Good Spy Dies Twice is the explosive first book in the Bullseye Series. Part spy thriller, part whodunit, this fast-paced novel introduces an exciting new hero, the intrepid, conspiratorial journalist, Jake Boxer.

About the Author:

Mark Hosack is the author of The Good Spy Dies Twice (Book 1: The Bullseye Series), and Identity (Simon & Schuster). He also wrote on the web series Sequestered for Sony Crackle, the screenplay for Give ’Em Hell, Malone (Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames), and he both wrote and directed the award wining independent film Pale Blue Moon. Mark lives in Los Angeles with his wife and a brood of gremlins who insist on calling him Dad.

Sign up for Mark’s newsletter at: http://markhosack.com/newsletter. Follow Mark on Twitter @markhosack or find him on Facebook - facebook.com/mark.hosack.

Review:

The Good Spy Dies Twice was a pretty good read. At times it was difficult to tell what was real and what Jack Boxer was hallucinating, but as he followed the bodies and the clues uncovering a conspiracy that reached back to the 1970s, it was difficult to tell the good guys from the bad. He wasn’t even sure he could trust his bride. After all, she’d been in love with his soundman who was killed in Russia. Why had she chosen a remote mountain in Alaska that had ties to the Cold War? Why did she insist on skiing a double black-diamond trail knowing he wasn’t that good? Where did she disappear to the rest of the day?

When Jack was injured in a ski-lift accident, I found it somewhat difficult to believe some of the feats he mastered with a broken back. I was amazed he didn’t manage to become at least a paraplegic. But then, I guess it depends on the type of fracture the vertebrae sustained, and he didn’t get up until after a surgeon removed the splinters from his spine. Still, even popping pills and fighting the pain strained a bit of my credibility.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a rather eerie thriller, The Good Spy Dies Twice is it.

Author Website:  http://markhosack.com

Heat Rating:  R

Length:  336 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $15.95

Digital:  $4.99

Hardcover:  $29.95

Buy Link:  https://smile.amazon.com/Good-Dies-Twice-Bullseye-Book-ebook/dp/B01IMZZ39M

Thanks for visiting.

False Pretences by Rosemary Morris

Blurb:

Five-year-old Annabelle arrived at boarding school fluent in French and English. Separated from her nurse, a dismal shadow blights Annabelle’s life because she does not know who her parents are.

Although high-spirited, Annabelle is financially dependent on her unknown guardian. She refuses to marry a French baron more than twice her age.

Her life in danger, Annabelle is saved by a gentleman, who says he will help her to discover her identity. Yet, from then on nothing is as it seems, and she is forced to run away for the second time to protect her rescuer.

Even more determined to discover her parents’ identity, in spite of many false pretences, Annabelle must learn who to trust. Her attempts to unravel the mystery of her birth, lead to further danger, despair, unbearable heartache and even more false pretences until the only person who has ever wanted to cherish her reveals the startling truth, and all’s well that ends well.

About the Author:

Rosemary Morris was born in 1940 in Sidcup Kent. As a child, when she was not making up stories, her head was “always in a book.”

While working in a travel agency, Rosemary met her Indian husband. He encouraged her to continue her education at Westminster College. In 1961 Rosemary and her husband, now a barrister, moved to his birthplace, Kenya, where she lived from 1961 until 1982. After an attempted coup d’état, she and four of her children lived in an ashram in France.

Back in England, Rosemary wrote historical fiction. She is now a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Historical Novel Society and Cassio Writers.

Apart from writing, Rosemary enjoys classical Indian literature, reading, visiting places of historical interest, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.

Time spent with her five children and their families, most of whom live near her, is precious.

Review by Rochelle:

Anyone who follows Roses & Thorns knows I shy away from historical romance because I absolutely hate anomalies—things like the use of modern jargon in period pieces. But this book was a Christmas gift, and I’m familiar with Ms. Morris, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did. As you can see, I found no anomalies and no modern jargon.

Annabelle is eighteen when she runs away from school on the eve of her wedding to a much older man. A handsome stranger named Roland rescues her from highwaymen and identifies himself as her fiancé. When they spend the night in separate rooms at an inn, she’s so innocent, she doesn’t understand why he wants the innkeeper’s daughter to sleep in her room as a chaperone. Not having a mother to talk with her on the night before her wedding, she has no clue what sex is, and she remains innocent until her wedding night. The next morning they encounter a truly odious man whom she dubs “The Toad.” She later learns he is really her fiancé.

Annabelle also worries that her status as an orphan may compromise Roland’s social standing. She’s heard the girls at school speculate that she may have been born “on the wrong side of the blanket.” And then she learns from the woman Roland hired as her ladies’ maid that there are kidnapping charges pending and a reward posted as a result of her disappearance from school. The maid tries to blackmail her, but Annabelle runs away hoping to find out who her birth parents are, who her guardian is, and why they wanted her to marry “The Toad.” She also hopes to persuade them to allow her to stay married to Roland, the man she loves.

Again, I found no glitches in this tale. The characters were well-drawn, and I rooted for them from beginning to end. Even when Roland lied to Annabelle, I always knew he did so to protect her, not to deceive. It was a page-burning mystery that I had difficulty putting down, and a truly delightful read.

Author Website:  http://www.rosemarymorris.co.uk/

Heat Rating: PG-13

Length: 218 Pages

Price: $5.95

Buy Link: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/false-pretences-detail

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds from the publisher. Editors and cover artists  receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $1.70-$2.10.

Download the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.). That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so buying directly from the publisher can save you money.

Moving the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your e-reader charging chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from the folder into which you’ve downloaded the book to Documents/Books directory on your e-reader. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle

Here's One for Hallmark: The Christmas Lights by Rachel Kosinski

Blurb:

“Where do Christmas lights come from?”

The tiny bulbs of color that burn on a Christmas tree, or outside a house to shine in the night; does anyone really know where they originate? What if someone told you they weren’t intended for Christmas at all, but really for a miracle? That they were for love, a desperate idea, to light a boy’s way home?

In that case, you must have some questions. What boy? What love?

In that case, allow me to tell you a story.

Review by Rochelle Weber:

The Christmas Lights is the story of the love between Louis Eclat, a poor young American man who aspires to design jewelry despite his near-blindness, and Emmy Claiborne the daughter of the wealthiest family in town. Mr. Claiborne tries to get rid of Louis by sending him to work in a sweatshop in Liverpool, saying if he returns home by Christmas with a fortune, he can marry Emmy. Warned away from the sweatshop by fellow passengers aboard ship, Louis ends up in Paris, modeling for a painter. His eyes may not work well, but they’re an extraordinary aquamarine color, and Monsieur Gavon offers to share the sales revenue with Louis. He also encourages Louis to design a jeweled egg, travel to Switzerland, and show the design to his friend, Monsieur Fabergé, who helps him produce the egg, and then takes it to Russia.

Louis returns to Paris to find M. Gavon’s studio empty. With just weeks left before Christmas, he ends up broke, working at the sweatshop in Liverpool, and close to death, despairing of seeing Emmy again, let alone amassing the fortune he needs to marry her.

A storm limits visibility on Christmas. Knowing Louis’ difficulty seeing, Emmy wreaths her house in light, hoping to guide him home.

The Christmas Lights is a sweet romance, a story that can be shared with the family—especially one’s young daughters. In fact, I think it would make a wonderful Hallmark movie. I wouldn’t mind watching it annually. Do I need to say more?

Length:  96 Pages

Digital Prices:  $3.50

Buy Link:  https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/the-christmas-lights-detail

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle