Palladine by Kenneth Eade

Blurb:

Robert Garcia was an unremarkable man, tapped out of a promising military career to become a death squad assassin for the CIA. Retirement was not in the cards for Robert, so he disappeared instead.

After he comes out of the cold to answer the call to aid a fellow soldier facing a bum rap, he is thrust back into the spotlight when he is in the wrong place at the wrong time and kills a terrorist, thereby saving dozens of lives. He finds gainful employment in the slaughter of jihadists, which sparks an urban legend that Robert, a dangerous and unfeeling assassin, is a living paladin, whose mission is to rid the earth of evil for the betterment of mankind. Social media gives him the name “Paladine,” and God help whoever gets between him and his next target.

About the Author:

Described by critics as “one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene,” author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, An Involuntary Spy. Eade, an award-winning, best-selling Top 100 thriller author, has been described by his peers as “one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation.” He is the 2015 winner of Best Legal Thriller from Beverly Hills Book Awards and the 2016 winner of a bronze medal in the category of Fiction, Mystery and Murder from the Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards. His latest novel, Paladine, is currently a quarter-finalist in Publisher’s Weekly’s BookLife Prize for Fiction. Eade has authored three fiction series: The “Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series”, the “Involuntary Spy Espionage Series,” and the “Paladine Anti-Terrorism Series.” He has written fourteen novels which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

“I’ve been writing all my life, but began publishing my work out of a passion for the environment. My wife, Valentina, is a professional photographer, who worked for two years on an environmental exhibition called, ‘Bee Cause I Care’ which was exhibited by the Prince Albert II Foundation and is now touring cities in France to bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and the dangers facing them. I penned a few articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and turned my research into my first book, Bless the Bees. That passion continued with the publication of my novel, An Involuntary Spy, which is an action thriller that also points to the dangers of genetically engineered food. Then I began publishing the “Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series,” which, in part, is based on actual experiences during my long career in law.

“Now I divide most of my time between France, where I have resided for the better part of ten years, and Russia. I try to put as much realism in my novels as possible, and they all revolve around important social issues. I treasure all of my readers and love to hear from them, whether it’s good or bad. Sometimes I make changes based on their suggestions and one reader has inspired a character who has appeared in my latest two novels. Everyone who signs up on my mailing list at http://www.kennetheade.com gets a free ebook, and I give away a Kindle Fire every month to a lucky winner on the list. I love this new adventure and hope you enjoy taking it with me.”

Review:

It seems you can’t even go to McDonald’s for a burger these days. Trying to lie low and remain anonymous doesn’t work for highly-trained assassin Robert Garcia when he hears a click behind him as he’s about to take a bite of his Big Mac. No one else in the place seems to even hear the click let alone recognize it the sound of someone cocking a weapon. But Robert does, and he reacts, shooting the AK-47-wielding terrorist before anyone else even realizes the man is there. Robert holsters his own weapon and melts into the crowd, walking away from the melee well before the authorities arrive, and before any witnesses can identify him.

The press labels Robert “Paladine,” and dying billionaire Bryce Williamson sets up a foundation to fight terrorism as a cover to hire “Paladine” through the dark web to kill the jihadist who killed Bryce’s wife, as well as any other terrorist Robert can identify and neutralize. Unfortunately, the Federal government is trying just as hard to neutralize Robert as they are the terrorists he’s targeting. After all, “Paladine” is making them look bad.

As both Paladine and the movie American Sniper the US government has trained many men to kill, and then sent them home when their military service is over and expect them to adjust to civilian / “civilized” life. And in toughening up these men, they make it difficult for them to reach out for the help they need to adjust. But, I digress.

Paladine grabs you at the beginning and hangs on to you right through to the end. You live inside Robert Garcia’s head—feel his loneliness and isolation as well as his desperation to stay alive and free, and his anger toward the terrorists he hunts. You feel the predator inside him, as well as the humanity. Paladine is well worth reading.

Author Website:  https://smile.amazon.com/Kenneth-Eade/e/B00EWT89RG

Warnings:  Violence

Length:  274 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $7.41

Digital:  $4.99

Buy Link:  https://smile.amazon.com/Thriller-PALADINE-terrorism-assassination-Counter-Terrorism-ebook/dp/B01KKXBP32

Thanks for visiting.

See You in the Morning by A. T. Weaver

Blurb:

Jake wonders if he'll ever find a long-term, loving relationship like his parents have. After all, same-sex marriage is just a pipe-dream.

Then he meets Dave. From the first kiss, they know they belong together. For over fifty years they're together, living their happily ever after in spite of bigotry.

They raise four wonderful children, always counting on the promise they give each other every night—"see you in the morning."

Review by Rochelle:

I stopped reviewing gay books awhile ago, because I’m not fond of erotica and I really don’t like BDS&M regardless of the gender of the participants. It seemed to me that was all I found in so-called gay romance. But when I read the blurb and excerpt for See You in the Morning while I was putting together the Marketing for Romance Writers’ Newsletter, it sounded different. It sounded like a real romance.

And that’s exactly what See You in the Morning is—an old-fashioned, sweet romance. Jake and Dave meet in a bar, decide it’s too noisy, and go out for pizza. They sit talking late into the night and exchange phone numbers. Jake’s amazed when Dave calls him that night and asks him to go hiking the next day. Before he hangs up, he says, “See you in the morning.” After that, they’re practically inseparable and they never part or go to sleep without saying, “See you in the morning.”

Jake’s family is open-minded, loving, and accepting. His uncle is gay and has been with one partner for years. Dave’s amazed at his welcome. Not five minutes inside the door the first time, Jake’s dad has him on a ladder placing the angel atop the family Christmas tree, and in the morning there are gifts from the family as well as Jake.

The story is told in flashbacks as Jake goes through family photos after Dave’s funeral. I smiled, frowned, laughed and cried as I sat with Jake while he reminisced about their fifty-plus-year life together, and the wonderful love they shared with each other, Jake’s family, and eventually, their children. Whether you’re a fan of gay books or not, I highly recommend See You in the Morning. It’s inspirational.

Length:  338 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $18.27

Digital:  $5.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/See-You-Morning-T-Weaver-ebook/dp/B00IS2XTJG/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438370118&sr=1-5&keywords=see+you+in+the+morning

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

The Missing and the Dead by Jack Lynch

Blurb:

Private eye Peter Bragg’s relentless search for a missing insurance investigator unearths shocking secrets involving embezzled money, the disappearance of a cop, art stolen from a San Francisco gallery, and a serial killer obsessed with the expressions on his victim’s faces when they realize they are going to die. Bragg connects the dots, creating a chilling portrait of impending death…and it could be his own.

Review by Rochelle Weber:

I love the Bay Area, and the Golden Gate Bridge on the cover of The Missing and the Dead drew me in. The plot kept me reading.

Janet Lind is the kind of anchor woman who, according to Don Henley, can “tell you about a plane crash with a gleam in her eye.” The only reason Peter Bragg agrees to take her case is that he owes her boss a favor. It seems her brother Jerry, an insurance investigator, has disappeared, and their uncle has died leaving them over a million dollars. If Jerry’s dead and he died before the uncle, Janet gets all of the inheritance. If he died after the uncle, she has to split the money with Jerry’s wife, Marcie, who she clearly thinks is trash. Bragg’s opinion of Marcie Lind is higher than that, and keeps him on the case, which becomes convoluted and dangerous, indeed.

I enjoy Brash Books’ reprints of classic noir novels. It’s fun to read books that take place before people had laptops and cell phones, although some of the action takes place in areas where a person probably couldn’t get a signal anyway. The dialog was natural, the characters very well-drawn, and Mr. Lind did a great job of keeping me guessing who the villain was. I truly had no idea until he revealed the killer. I highly recommend The Missing and the Dead.

Length:  241 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $11.99

Digital:  $2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.brash-books.com/book/the-missing-and-the-dead/

Thanks for visiting. Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle