A young mother on the run. A Marine coping with the aftereffects of war. Those are the major conflicts in The 13 of Hearts. The author does a great job of conveying her characters' thoughts and fears. She goes deep. I enjoy the way she reveals their pasts, little by little, with surprises along the way. Pete and Lin don't fall instantly in love--both of them have a lot of baggage--and this story is much more than a simple boy-meets-girl romance.
The 13 of Hearts is Book Five of the Heart Stories and is a sweet romance with no sex scenes or profanity. It is free of typographical and grammatical errors, which I always appreciate.
*FYI: In honor of her late friend, author Monique O'Connor James, Kay Springsteen is donating royalties from the sale of this book to author Kristine Cheney for her fight against breast cancer.
Book Beginning (Prologue):
War. It's not just a string of constant bloody battles. More often than not, you find yourself watching ... and waiting... Because that other shoe? It will fall. -- From the Deployment Survival Journal of Pete "Rabbit" Kincaid
Friday, December 13, 2013
Waiting always felt as pleasant as swimming in a stagnant pond. Rabbit hated it. Some nights, though, he wished the waiting would go on for just a few hours longer.
The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
Gloom settled over Rabbit, as real as twilight falling when the sun went down. It might as well be a sunset. The sun setting on his life.
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Military
Length: 399 Pages
Amazon Link: The 13 of Hearts
Author Blog/Website: The Romance of Your Life
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Peter "Rabbit" Kincaid wasn't always superstitious but after several deployments with the US Marines, he's picked up a few quirks. His last tour of duty didn't go so well, and now he's back home recovering from injuries and awaiting clearance to get back in the fight. The fight is about to come to him in a different way.
Melinda "Lin" Doyle is a two-time US Marine widow on the run from the fallout of an incident that threatens to separate her from her two children. Making their home in a motel where she works for board and half pay, with her oldest child attending school under an assumed name isn't her idea of being Mother of the Year. Then again, neither is being at the center of a murder investigation.
Rabbit believes everything happens for a reason so when he and the young family cross paths multiple times over the course of a couple of days, he pays attention. Lin would rather the handsome Marine officer take his attention elsewhere before he ruins everything. How can they ever get along when everything they do appears to be at cross purposes?
*********
Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)
A COLLIE RESCUE (Emily Dahill CID) by Lindsay Downs is such a good story. Homeless veteran Sandi Charleston suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but her life on the streets of Washington, D.C. changes when she encounters FBI Special Agent Jenna Janson and her collie Roxy. When Sandi tells Jenna that she has overheard a terrorist plot, a plan to stop the saboteurs is set in motion that puts them all in danger. But can Sandi overcome her fear and fulfill her part in the operation?
I enjoyed learning about the role collies can play in helping veterans deal with PTSD. The dogs play a major role in this book's plot with a couple of delightful scenes in a dog's point of view.
This versatile author has also recently written Regency romances, including The Masked Lady and the Murder, Don't Cross the Countess, To Love A Lady, and more. Check out his Amazon author page for more information.
Book Beginning:
With one hand, former Sergeant Sandi Charleston bundled her worn and tattered field jacket around her. She lifted her face to the beautiful, sunny late August afternoon. The other gripped her precious cup of tepid coffee. The day was warm, but lack of restful sleep caused her to easily chill.
Freda's Voice, host of The Friday 56, is on vacation this week.
Genre: Fiction / Thriller
Length: 100 Pages
Amazon Link: A Collie Rescue
Other Books by This Author: Lindsay Downs Amazon Author Page
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Former Army Sergeant Sandi Charleston, diagnosed with PTSD and homeless barely survives day to day. By a miracle of fate she meets Taz, a uniquely special collie, who helps turn her life around. Only through him does she find the courage to go head to head with her worst enemy-terrorist bent on mass destruction.
Bound by a special love to help and protect each other, side by side these two unlikely partners willingly march forward into battle. A fight to the death neither is sure can be won but fighting as one they will try to. Kidnapped and forced to reveal what she knows Sandi realizes there is only one individual who can save her from certain death. It’s not the government but her new best buddy. Together they defeat the enemy proving once again that battle buddies come in all shapes and breeds. Rescued, Sandi finally realizes that there is a new and better life for her as long as Taz is part of it.
********
Please join us every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Link HERE.
