Archives for April 2021

Dragon Queen by Rod Marsden – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Night to Dawn Magazine and Books LLC will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Mixing with your betters can get you killed. Dragons know this as does a certain maverick pilot and his researcher wife. It is possible to get thrown into events not of your own making in which you must do your best to survive. Meanwhile, somewhere not far from mainland Tasmania, there is an island named Green Maiden’s Folly. What’s it like? Is it paradise, or has it been made over into a worse destination hellhole than Devil’s Island used to be like in the 19th and 20th Centuries? On Green Maiden’s Folly, the destiny of the dragon is revealed.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Elanora’s black scales shone in the early morning light. She smiled at the effect the sun had on her spiked tail and also her legs, arms, and claws. The sun came up over the silvery sea. It was always a welcome sight, the start of a new day on her island. In the distance, waves rose and crashed before they could get to shore. A breeze touched her all too human nose, lips, and ears. It should have been unpleasant, but it wasn’t. She found the smell of salt in the air invigorating.

Lizards were bothered by the cold, but despite her lacertilian features, Elanora wasn’t a reptile. She was a dragon, and regardless of the plume of white coming from her mouth, she wasn’t shivering. In fact, she preferred a cool climate. She looked around for company because it was the loneliness that got to her, not the near frozen air.

She picked up a stick and drew a rectangle in the sand. A small blackish-grey crab came out of the rolling surf, and with its eyes on stalks, looked up at her. “These are the dragons,” she told the creature. “They are on the bottom. That’s not a good place to be. They’re mutants like me, but I’m special because I’m a female, and I’m not supposed to exist.”

About the Author:

Author Rod Marsden was born in Sydney, Australia. He has three degrees, all related to writing and history. He spent nine and a half years as a civilian clerk with the Royal Australian Navy. His proudest moments there were in the publications area.

He enjoys wildlife photography and in recent years, joined Illawarra Birders. He went on a birding expedition to the main north island of New Zealand, where he came upon wildlife unique to that country. There he also met up for the first time with correspondent, friend, and novelist Lyn McConchie. He shares his fascination with nature with his entire family, including his niece Jasmine Perala. Her pet, Kiki, is a young, female eclectus parrot and, soggy from a recent shower, is featured on Rod Marsden’s shoulder on the back cover of this book.

His stories have been published in Australia, England, Russia, the USA, and Canada. He has work in the Australian anthology Small Suburban Crimes, the American anthology Cats Do it Better, the American steampunk anthology Break Time, the Canadian anthology Morbid Metamorphosis, and in the Canadian anthology Grey Matter Monsters – Takers of Souls.

Many of his short stories, including “The Antarctic Pineapple,” have been published in Night to Dawn magazine. Undead Reb Down Under and Other Vampire Stories is a collection of his early short fiction on vampirism. Disco Evil is his first venture into the vampire novel. Ghost Dance is his first undertaking into dark fantasy involving a quest plus secret agents out to prevent demonic takeover. It has been reprinted with a new cover. Desk Job is his salute to Lewis Carroll.

His short plays, Zombie Vision, Hyde and Seek, and Smarty were well received at Cronulla Arts Theatre, south coast, New South Wales, Australia. Both his plays Smarty and Hyde and Seek made it into Sydney’s Short and Sweet contest.

He has a short story in The Twofer Compendium edited by Ruth Littner and Ann Stolinsky (2020) in which he mentions the Berry Celtic Festival, which took place every May in a farming community on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a festival that, unfortunately, had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus but will hopefully resume in May 2021.

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Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing by Susanna Allen – Spotlight and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Susanna Allen who is celebrating the upcoming release of A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a set of the April 2021 releases from Sourcebooks Cassablanca.

A Duke in want of a wife…

Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, has long been an enigma. No one dares to give a man of his status the cut direct, but there’s simply something not quite right about him. What would the society ladies say if they learned the truth—that the Duke of Lowell is a wolf shifter and the leader of a pack facing extinction if he doesn’t find his true love? So now he’s on the hunt…for a wife.

Felicity Templeton has a goal of her own: to remain unwed until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she will inherit a significant fortune. But that all changes when she meets Alfred, the dashing duke who’s determined to have her for his very own…

Enjoy an Excerpt

Following her first meal in Lowell Hall, Felicity and the duke retire to the drawing room for tea. Felicity refuses to marry the duke as they know nothing of one another; he calls her bluff and proceeds to inquire after her interests…

“I sketch,” she allowed. “I am fond of drawing animals.”

“Animals?” He pretended to scoff. “A lowly subject.”

“I disagree. I find there is nothing nobler than the beasts of the field, the birds of the air. I admire their freedom to be themselves, despite many species having been domesticated by humans. I commend the way they take care of one another in their groups or herds.” She peeped at him, hesitant. “I speak of horses, in the main.”

“There is little that is natural regarding man’s treatment of the horse.”

“I do not disagree. Man owes civilization to horses and often repays them with mistreatment. I believe we can show true gratitude to the horse with conscientious husbandry. I believe our diligence in this matter will make the whole world a better place.”

“A bleeding heart.” He was baiting her, of course, and her defense of creatures both great and small thrilled him to the core.

“A beating heart, a heart that acknowledges the dignity of all sentient beings.” Her hazel eyes glowed like topaz with her passion.

“Had they any will of their own, they would not allow themselves to become subjugated by us.”

“I do not deny that there are many who would seek to subjugate so-called inferior creatures,” Felicity allowed, “but those who are sensitive will garner only the best from the animals in their care. If only we would learn from them.”

“A radical, bleeding heart.”

“Better a radical than one who stands by and does nothing. Better a bleeding heart than one that has turned to stone.” Miss Templeton scowled at him. “I know your kind, looking down on all around you, full of your position in life that was nothing more than an accident of breeding. Little separates you from the animals, Your Grace.”

“Oh, very little indeed,” he agreed, struggling to keep his composure. “But come, such a fuss over mere animals.”

“Mere animals?” She very nearly shrieked.

He went to meet her fury. “For why would we, who have speech and independence, care for beasts of burden or common house pets?”

“If it is speech that elevates us, only recall the numberless times that words have caused ill. Only think what is being said about me at this precise moment and tell me that language is something to be proud of.” Miss Templeton forgot herself so far as to fist her hands on her hips. “And as for free will? Those such as you, Your Grace,” she spat, imbuing a world of spite in his title, “those in the upper echelons of society may consider free will their birthright, but the majority do not have that luxury. Why must one species be found superior to the other? Why can we not live in harmony? Why must our own baser instincts cause our animals to be abused? How simple it would be to change our behavior, to make a difference.”

“It is all well and good my dear, but one woman? Make a difference? In the larger world?” By the Goddess, whatever she wanted, he would ensure she achieved it.

“Yes, one woman. One woman, who has the knowledge and the will. Knowledge and will are not the sole provinces of men.”

“And what do you speak of, then?” he challenged. “Training house cats? Bringing dogs indoors?”

“Well,” she hesitated. “Just for the sake of argument, mind. Horse breeding.”

“A gentleman’s time-honored pursuit—”

“A pursuit that has resulted in inbred mounts that, more often than not, do not live up to expectation and must be destroyed. Or result in unreliable beasts that end up hurting their riders or themselves.” Miss Templeton stood near enough to him to bite him on the chin. “All it would take is the cross of stock in such a way that would guarantee the best of both will out.”

“But madam, how then would our equine friends acquire their mates?” Alfred inquired. “Do the studs apply to the fathers of the mares for the hands, or rather the hooves, of their intended?” He snuck a breath, inhaling her dudgeon, her ardency, her ferocity, and his wolf was like to howling at the full moon.

“Do not be ridiculous.”

“Or do they see, and scent, and take?” He leaned in, all but whispering in her ear. “Do they follow instincts unknown to anyone but the stallion and mare involved? Is it the stallion’s pursuit that inspires the mare or the mare’s willingness to be covered that inflames the stallion?”

“You seek to discompose me.” She blushed but held his gaze. “You are mocking my beliefs. You are mocking me.” She turned to leave, and he stopped her with a hand on the slice of bare arm below her puffed sleeve and above her glove. “You mock me by keeping me here, as if the whole world would believe that you wanted me above all others. I will find a way to leave here and put this sham behind me.”

He gripped her arm. “You will not leave me.” The dominatum rushed through him and once again had no effect on her whatsoever. “We will marry, and not only because it is what society will demand.”

“You may force me to the altar.” Miss Templeton stuck out her chin in defiance. “But you cannot make me respond to the vows.”

“What might you respond to?” He leaned in and ran his nose down her cheek, around her jaw. “This?” She shivered. “Ah, I do know something about you, after all—that a stroke on the cheek makes you tremble.” He breathed in her scent and breathed out, gently, against her neck. “I was merely playing devil’s advocate,” he crooned as he let his lips touch her earlobe. “It was not my intention to mock you. I find your passion quite…stimulating.” He felt her quiver, said, “Do pardon me,” and kissed her.

***

Excerpted from A Duke in Wolf’s Clothing by Susanna Allen. © 2021 by Susanna Allen. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Born in New Jersey, Susanna Allen moved to Ireland for twelve months — in 1998. Susan is living her life by the three Rs: reading, writing, and horseback riding, and can generally be found on her sofa with her e-reader; gazing out a window and thinking about made-up people; or cantering around in circles. She loves every minute of it!

Website

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Bookshop, BAM, or Books2Read.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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A Reluctant Attraction by Rosanna Leo – Spotlight and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Rosanna Leo who is celebrating yesterday’s release of A Reluctant Attraction, book 3 in the Handymen series. Enter to win a fabulous gift package and get a FREE romance book from the author!

He was looking for an escape. In her, he found his home.

Contractor and Handymen host Nick Zorn needs a change. He’s been feeling listless, and when his ex-girlfriend embarrasses him in a viral post by sharing private details of their sex life, he’s downright ready to escape. When an opportunity to reinvent his career arises, Nick takes it, even though it might mean the end of Handymen. However, the team has one more project to tackle together first—a struggling cat sanctuary in dire need of renovation.

When Nick arrives at the shelter and meets its owner, a lovely widow named Claire, his life is once more thrown into disarray. Neither of them is looking for a relationship, but the attraction is fierce. As he helps Claire fix her workplace, he realizes he wants to help her in other ways too. Their flirtation sizzles, flaring into a friends-with-benefits arrangement.

But the more time they spend together, the more reluctant these ‘friends’ become to fight their deepening connection, even though they know their inevitable break will devastate them…

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of cyberbullying and harrassment, mentions of animal hoarding, bereavement and mourning. There are also references to male impotence and erectile dysfunction.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Nick Zorn opened the coffee shop door and paused at the entrance, waiting for the now-familiar giggles of ridicule. Releasing his death grip on the door handle, he took a hesitant step.

Luckily, no one noticed him.

This time.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he hurried toward the back of the café, and sat at a table in one of the darker corners.

Maybe it was time to start holding his head high again. He was Nick fricking Zorn, beloved TV star, businessman and friend to all.

A young woman at one of the other tables glanced in his direction. Her eyebrows shot up and she stifled a grin.

Beloved TV star. Yeah, right. And maybe it was time to start wearing dark sunglasses everywhere he went.

Seeing as his brothers hadn’t yet arrived, he pulled out his cell phone but didn’t turn to any social media apps. He just bowed his head and stared at his home screen, trying to appear busy.

Within minutes, Michael and Eli arrived.

“What took you so long?” asked Nick.

“Uh,” said Michael. “We’re right on time.”

Only when they sat, providing a buffer between him and the rest of the café customers, did Nick relax a little.

“You good?” asked Eli.

“Yeah. Just dandy.” Change the subject. Pronto. “Hey, did Lacey tell you what this meeting was about? She was vague with me.”

“Me too,” said Eli.

Lacey was typically the first to arrive for meetings. Of course, they usually held their meetings at the Inspiration Network offices.

For the last few years, Nick and his brothers had been hosting the Toronto-based TV show Handymen, as well as operating their own contracting business. On their show, they helped families realize their home renovation dreams, suiting them up with new appliances and teaching them how to tackle difficult renovation projects.

It wasn’t unheard of for Lacey to pull the brothers in for a meeting, rather than involving the whole crew, but there was an unusual air of secrecy about this tête-à-tête.

“What about you?” Nick asked Michael. “She must have told you something.”

Michael grunted. “Why would she tell me anything that she didn’t tell you?”

Nick and Eli just stared at him.

“For God’s sake. I don’t have any more of a direct line to Lacey than you fools do.” Michael frowned. “Although she was acting cagey the last time I saw her.”

Michael liked to pretend he and Lacey Styles didn’t have a special bond, but they did. Or at least, it was a different sort of bond from the one Nick or Eli had with her. Not only was Lacey their director on Handymen, she and Michael had had a relationship. It had been some time ago, and Michael was now very happy with his wife, Emily. His only present connection to Lacey was a solid working relationship, one based on trust and mutual respect.

That didn’t mean Nick and Eli hadn’t teased him about his ill-fated tryst for a good long time.

Not anymore. Nick had recently made a vow not to tease anyone about their relationship status, especially since his last one had ended up being such a clusterfuck.

Besides, they all cared about Lacey. She’d been good to them. She’d singlehandedly guided their TV careers, coached them on navigating the press and even taught three Neanderthal builders how to develop their presence on social media.

In Nick’s case, she’d also recently taught him the merits of keeping a low profile when needed.

Of course, most importantly of all, she had turned Handymen into a popular home renovation show. Their success was mostly in the Canadian market, but they had big plans. From day one, Lacey had made it clear she aimed to get the team a coveted timeslot on the Create Network, the biggest home improvement network around. It hadn’t happened yet, but Nick was hopeful. He knew they had the chops to break into the American market.

The shop door opened. Lacey spotted them and walked over. Dressed in her customary heels, a slim skirt and a frilly blouse, the brunette turned a few heads as she made her way to the table. “Gentlemen.” She sat down next to Nick and smiled. “I appreciate you meeting me outside of our regular venue and time.”

“No sweat,” said Michael. “What’s up?”

That was Michael. He never wasted a word, if he could help it. Nick stifled a chuckle.

“Anyone want coffee?” asked Eli. “I could use one.”
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They all gave Eli their orders and held off on the official part of the meeting until he returned with four steaming cups.

Lacey grabbed her usual soy latte, took a sip and put it down. “I have great news. Life-changing news, actually.” She paused, looking at each of them in turn, creating suspense.

It only took a few seconds before Michael began to tap his finger on the table. “Put us out of our misery. Please.”

“All right, all right. So, guys, what has been my number one objective with Handymen?”

“Has Create picked us up?” asked Nick.

“Not quite,” said Lacey. “But it’s almost as good. As you know, I’ve always been focused on getting new viewers. A plan is in place to help us find a wider audience than ever before. A couple of days ago, I got called into a meeting at Inspiration. The executive producers were all there. They want to take Handymen in an exciting new direction.”

Nick bit his tongue. The last exciting direction the producers had suggested involved the Zorn brothers wearing tank tops during their tapings, ones that would show off their muscles. Luckily, they had all ixnayed that idea into oblivion.

“Basically,” continued Lacey, “they want us to take the show on the road.”

“Okay.” Eli had a note of caution in his voice. “Define on the road.”

Lacey’s smile grew tight. “I mean, on the road. Traveling. Visiting new cities. Tackling renovation projects in places like Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Boston. All over North America, frankly. The idea is that we would concentrate on a new city each episode. It would give us a chance to work with different styles of architecture, different gardening zones, even some historic properties. It’s a huge opportunity for some great exposure. Isn’t this wonderful?”

Nick kept a careful eye on his brothers. He didn’t need to hear them speak to know what they thought.

They hated the idea.

And he couldn’t say he blamed them.

Michael, for one, would never do it. He was married. Not only did Emily have a thriving business in downtown Toronto, he would never walk away from Zorn Contracting. It had been his idea to start the business, and he still saw it as his baby. They all did, of course, but Michael had always made it clear it was just as much of a priority to him as his work on Handymen.

Then there was Eli, who had just gotten married. His wife, Bernadette, known as Bernie, worked for a local not-for-profit agency. Her big project was to help administer a camp for children in cottage country, a couple of hours outside Toronto. It had become a passion project for both her and Eli, and because the camp only had one summer under its belt, Eli wasn’t about to ditch it.

Nick already knew neither of his brothers would take significant time away from their wives or their businesses. The first couple of years in a new business were crucial.

“Well?” prompted Lacey. “This is the part where you say, ‘This is amazing. Thank you for sharing this incredible news.’”

“But we’ve already filmed next season’s episodes,” said Nick.

“This would be for the following season, which we have to start working on soon,” explained Lacey. “As you know, our contracts only take us through the coming season. We haven’t been renewed yet beyond that, and it was a chance for the executive producers to make some changes. Change is good, guys. Tell me what you think.”

Eli began, his face pinched. “Lacey, I can’t. There’s no way I’d leave Bernie for that length of time.”

“It’s not like we’ll be gone for years. Just, you know, a few weeks here, a few weeks there. In total, maybe a few months out of the year. And you can travel back and forth as much as you’d like.”

“I’m sorry,” said Eli. “That’s not something I want.”

She looked to Michael. “And you?”

He shrugged. “No can do.”

“But, Michael…”

“It’s out of the question. Lacey, you know Em and I are settled here.”

“Look, I understand that the logistics will take getting used to, but it can be done,” she replied. “You could talk to Emily every day, thanks to that handy smartphone I taught you how to use. It’s not like you’ll be communicating via carrier pigeon. And, guys, if we want to hit the big leagues of TV, we need to break out of Toronto. You know this. I hear what you’re saying. It would be hard at first, but it would be so worth it.”

“Worth it for the network,” asked Michael, “or worth it for us?”

“Worth it for all of us.” She turned to Nick. “I guess you feel the same way?”

Nick’s face heated as the others scrutinized him. Of course, she’d assume he’d toe the Zorn party line. Sometimes, people didn’t credit him for having thoughts independent of his brothers, but he did.

Did he want this?

What did he want? Truth be told, he’d been considering it a lot lately, agonizing over it.

Frankly, the only thing he’d wanted for the last couple of months was a chance to escape.

About the Author Rosanna Leo writes contemporary and paranormal romance. She is the First Place Winner of the 2018 Northern Hearts Contest (Contemporary Romance) for A Good Man.

From Toronto, Canada, Rosanna occupies a house in the suburbs with her husband and their two sons, and spends most of her time being tolerated by their cat Sweetie. When not writing, Rosanna works for her local library, where she is busy laying the groundwork to become a library ghost one day.

Website | Instagram | Pinterest | BookBub | Facebook | Goodreads | First for Romance Autor Page

Buy the book at your favorite online venue or First for Romance.

ROSANNA LEO IS GIVING AWAY THIS FABULOUS PRIZE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THESE FABULOUS SEMI-PRECIOUS EARRINGS AND GET A FREE EBOOK FROM THE AUTHOR! Notice: This competition ends on 4TH May 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for April 21, 2021

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

NOTE: we also host the Friday Five–a fun writing prompt blog hop and would love to see you there!

Today’s topic is: Creative outlets I enjoy

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The Ferret by Tom Minder


The Ferret by Tom Minder
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

As an LDS elder, Louie Kimble, is assigned as construction foreman in Testimony Acres, a high-end real estate development, fifty miles north of Las Vegas. He discovers it’s a money laundering scheme put together by his religious superiors. Confronted by the FBI, he agrees to provide evidence and testify in exchange for his freedom.

After surgery to fix an unfortunate resemblance to a domesticated animal, he is given a new name and history and relocated to South Jersey. He rebuilds his life, with a girlfriend, a great job, and season tickets to the local pro football team.

Then one bright Saturday morning, there is a knock on his front door. His visitor will bring back his past, and change his life forever.

Sometimes laying low is the best way to stay safe.
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The cast of characters was large, but everyone’s roles were clearly explained. I never had trouble remembering who worked where or how they knew each other. That’s something pretty important to me as a reader, so I was glad to see so much attention paid to how everyone was connected.

With that being said, would have preferred to see more time spent on character development. None of the characters were well rounded, and many of them were described so briskly that I’d struggle to come up with the right words to describe their personalities or how they changed during the course of the storyline. There simply wasn’t that much time spent talking about these things, especially for anyone who wasn’t the protagonist. As much as i enjoyed the plot itself, this did dampen my enthusiasm for this book in general.

I was fascinated by the descriptions of how the witness protection program works, especially when it came to what people in this program are supposed to say about their pasts to the friends they make after moving to a brand new area. This wasn’t something I knew much about, so seeing how someone makes the transition to a new name, work history, and more made me root for the main character. More than anything, I wanted his fresh start to turn out well for him.

There were times when I seriously questions some of the risky decisions Louie made. He knew how dangerous it would be for anyone to discover his new identity and how hard the FBI had worked to completely and permanently separate his old life from his new one. Seeing him take so many unnecessary chances when it came to things like allowing the local newspaper to print his photo never quite made sense to me.

The ending was satisfying. I appreciated the way all of the important loose threads were tied up while still leaving some room for a sequel if the author ever decides to write one. That’s always a nice way to leave things off in the mystery genre.

Anyone who likes reading about organized crime or the witness protection program should give The Ferret a try.

The Spider And The Hawk by Ella Grey


The Spider And The Hawk by Ella Grey
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Ava’s life has always been difficult. Most of her kind, the spider shifters, were culled when she was a child. She grew up in foster care and had to work extra hard to get the job as Medical Examiner for Grenfell. Nobody trusts spiders. Now a body has turned up, filled with a toxin not on their system. Someone’s trying to frame her for murder, but who?

Agent Theodore ‘Theo’ Ross never thought he would see Ava St Clair again. His first love. The one he never got over. Now he needs to figure out if she’s capable of murder.
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The tension is high. The long-denied need is palpable. They’re on borrowed time because the killer has Ava in their sights, and it could be anyone.

Hawk-shifter and Supernatural Police Force member, Theo, worked with a small team of shifters specifically tasked with helping to keep the paranormal world a secret from humans. As the team’s newbie Theo had been lumped mainly with paperwork since he joined up and so he’s itching to get out into the field and doing some real work. When a poisoning case hits the morgue, Theo’s ex-girlfriend – a spider-shifter – is under suspicion so even though he’s been hungering for a case of his own, Theo isn’t sure this is quite how he wanted to begin his new career. The fact the flames still burn brightly between Theo and Ava doesn’t make it easier on either of them.

I really enjoyed this paranormal mystery. I feel the history between Ava and Theo helped sell me a lot on the speed of their reconnecting, plus I just enjoyed how they both seemed to have fond – and maybe even slightly wistful – memories of each other. There wasn’t too much baggage or hurt feelings to overcome between them and that really helped clear the plot and resurgence of their relationship to me. There was plenty of conflict and tension in the plot with the murder mystery and trying to work out who wanted to set Ava up for a murder she didn’t commit, I didn’t feel there needed to be any conflict or baggage bleeding over from this into Ava and Theo reconnecting so I was really pleased with how the author handled this.

I admit I found Ava and Theo’s shifter aspects a bit of a stretch for my mind in the beginning. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a spider-shifter story before (romantic or not) and I know I’ve only read one or two hawk shifter stories in the past, they’re both pretty uncommon and it took me a little while to get into the groove of them. That said, once I did wrap my mind around it, I found the whole paranormal world and the experiences of Ava and Theo in particular to be really refreshing and a lovely, unique set of examples. In many ways the whole paranormal genre has come close (for me, personally) to reaching saturation point. So many plots and pairings and situations just feel so well-worn it’s hard sometimes to read “yet another hunt-the-killer-shifter” style of story, but having fun and relatable characters as well as such different shifter types really helped freshen this up for me and I really enjoyed it once I got into the swing of things.

With an intense and really enjoyable plot and a lovely steamy romance this is a great, quick read and an author I really enjoyed. I’ll be checking more stories in this series out. Recommended.

Red Zone by Leslie North


Red Zone by Leslie North
Publisher: Relay Publishing
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

James Sullivan, quarterback for the Savannah Sharks, never thought there’d come a day when football wasn’t his priority. But finally finding his feet after his divorce and with a nine-year-old daughter to raise by himself, he has new priorities. And it shows on the field.

Newly hired conditioning coach Daisy Katrakis has pointed out his less-than-stellar play, and that rankles James. He’s known Daisy for years—she’s his best friend’s little sister—and more annoying than her criticism is how attractive she is. When did Daisy get so hot? Though he reminds himself that she’s his coach, it’s hard to ignore their mutual attraction. And harder still to ignore what Daisy is starting to do to his heart.

Being hired by the Sharks is a dream come true for Daisy. The last thing she needs is to complicate things by getting into a relationship with the terminally sexy James Sullivan. Her obsession is football, not a gorgeous quarterback with muscles that have muscles.
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Daisy’s never been a girly-girl, but there’s something about James that brings out her softer side. Something that makes her think there could be more. But a coach dating the quarterback is fraught with complications, and Daisy knows her priority has to be her job. Which leaves her with an impossible decision: live her dream or break her own heart.

When social media twists truths and lies it can hurt people and cause problems.

Daisy, in Leslie North’s newest book Red Zone, tries her best to ignore all the lies written about her on the internet, she knows it is best to dismiss them, but finds it impossible.

James Sullivan is the quarterback for the Savannah Sharks and Daisy Katrakas is the new strength and training coach. James is surprised to see Daisy when she starts her job with the Sharks. Daisy was the little sister of James’ high school best friend and now, she is grown up and hard to resist. James and Daisy just can’t stay away from each other; they love spending time together and have a passionate relationship. Everything is going well, until the internet brings a spotlight on their relationship.

Daisy is one of the few women in the league working as a strengthening coach and because she is a woman, she has to work extra hard to prove herself. Daisy is excited to finally achieve her goal of working with professional football players. She finds it both challenging and fun and she also likes working with James. Unfortunately, some people blame Daisy whenever the team loses.

James and Daisy have great dynamics and chemistry between them and I found it easy to sympathize and relate to them. I enjoyed this refreshing story.

The Virus of Beauty by C. B. Lyall – Q&A and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What would we find under your bed?
Nothing! We have moved around the globe with my husband’s work, and this has made me extremely tidy. Almost every three years throughout our married life we’d packed up our belongings and relocated. First from London to New York, then from New York to Mumbai, then back to New York, then on to Brussels, back to New York, on to Hong Kong and finally back to New York. It was like being on a retractable dog lead. We’d be allowed to run off to another country and then with the jerk of an email back we’d come to New York. The movers were always amazed when I told them there was nothing in my attic either.

What was the scariest moment of your life?

I’ve had a few. First would be parachuting on a static line and blacking out. Next, I’d say driving on a skid pad. I was terrified during the whole experience. Third, relocating from London to New York with a five-month-old baby. It’s amazing what you can do when pushed.

Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?

Yes, during the first draft especially. I have a writing playlist with Sting, Hozier, Sam Smith and Enya which I usually play. I also have some classical music mood albums I’ll play when needed.

What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

I want to write my first historical fiction. I’ve been researching about Emigratory Societies at the turn of the century before WWI. I have a plot, characters and setting. I just have to finish the third book in The Virus of Beauty Series before I can start it.

How long did it take you to write this book?

The Virus of Beauty took me three years from concept to publication. I wrote the second book, The Veil of Corruption in 18 months. I’m about a third into the first draft of the final book of this fantasy series. I hope to publish the third book this year.

Ugliness is power, and the Virus of Beauty is spreading causing panic throughout the witch population.

Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who is terrified of using magic. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, Wilf is plunged into the middle of a political struggle between the witches and wizards in the Magical Realm. He’d rather play soccer than practice magic, but he’s forced to make a choice between the life of a normal Hong Kong teen and one of wizardry after a powerful virus begins to decimate the witch community. The cure is spellbound in a journal Wilf inherited from his father and when his friend Katryna contracts the virus, Wilf understands that he must overcome his fear of magic to unlock the journal’s secrets – but will it be too late to save her?

Enjoy an Excerpt

The tattoo pulsed. He shoved the hand into his pants pocket and continued threading his way through the store’s cluttered shelves of T-shirts, Laughing Buddhas, shot glasses, and Happy Cats. The sinking feeling in his stomach grew.

A sharp pain shot up his arm.

“What the…?”

A rumbling groan echoed around the store. He glanced towards the alcove housing the Mages Crystal. His eyes widened as the mirrored surface glowed red. A loud crack pierced the air like a ball smashing through a window. He ran for the supply closet and forced his six-foot body inside.

Quartz exploded across the room from the crystal’s center.

He felt a whoosh of air next to his ear as he slammed the door shut. He switched on the closet light and stepped backward into brooms and mop handles that banged the back of his head. A large piece of polished quartz, still vibrating from its violent impact with the wall, reflected the shock in his gray eyes.

Thuds echoed in the tiny room as projectiles impaled the door. He touched his ear, but seeing no blood on his fingers, exhaled. That had been too close.

Several seconds passed before he braved stepping outside. The store was filled with colliding rainbows as sunlight hit the debris. Wilf blinked rapidly. Crystal daggers studded the closet’s wooden door. All he’d done was look in the crystal’s direction, but his father would blame him for this disaster.

“Wilf, is that you?” Reginald’s shout was followed by a creaking sound from the basement stairs.

Wilf bolted for the front door. His shoes crunched the broken glass. He jerked open the door and the bell gave a traitorous jingle.

About the Author: Carolyn Lyall was born in Stockton-On-Tees, United Kingdom. As a child Carolyn growing up in Northern England in the sixties Carolyn loved sports, reading and amateur dramatics. She joined a renaissance group, practiced the broadsword and dreamed of visiting other worlds. Her passion for what could be drove her forward when faced with everyday struggles. Her first memorable skirmish with gender inequality came at nine-years old when she was told that only boys were allowed to play soccer. In response, she simply refused to do any classwork until they changed their old-fashioned policies. She won that battle.

At the age of 18, she took a role as typist for a nursing school in Middlesbrough. She then moved to London and enrolled in night school. She was quickly recognized for her ability to fit in anywhere and for not being afraid to push back on the predominantly male leadership. She eventually became a project manager in software development and micro-computers, bridging the gap between computer programmers and management.

Her dream to travel was finally realized in 1990 when she moved to New York City, USA with her husband and the first of three sons. This was the steppingstone to a lifelong adventure that has taken her and her family to India, Belgium and Hong Kong.

Raising her family in multiple countries around the world, she saw that each move, while a shock, was an opportunity for her sons to redefine themselves against new challenges and different cultural norms. Now, that her sons have left home, Carolyn has used her passion for the fantastic to create a world where every day gender inequalities are at the forefront of a world ending conflict. She shares this story through the eyes of a young man who is suddenly thrust into this new world along with all of his own woes and prejudices. The introduction to this world is in Carolyn’s debut YA fantasy novel, “The Virus of Beauty,” due to be released July 31, 2019 under C B Lyall.

Carolyn has published two short stories in an annual anthology by 25 Servings of Soop. She wrote a number of articles for the American Women’s Associates Magazine. Fueled by her love of the works of Terry Pratchett, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Brandon Sanderson and others, Carolyn has completed a number of writing courses, which included a Master Fantasy/Science Fiction writers course with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, a YA Voice class and Advance Novel Writing course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Buy the book at Amazon.

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The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper – Spotlight and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Isabel Cooper who is celebrating the upcoming release of The Nightborn. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a set of April 2021 releases from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Sentinels spend their lives fighting the monsters that prey upon humanity.

As the Traitor God’s army grows and war looms ever-closer, Sentinel Branwyn arrives in the gleaming city-state of Heliodar to ask its High Council for aid. Its youngest member, Zelen Varengir, is sympathetic to her cause, but his hands are tied by his powerful family—and when they demand he spy upon the beautiful warrior, there is little he can do but obey.

But something stronger than blood draws Zelen and Branwyn together, and when Branwyn is framed for the murder of the High Lord himself, the unlikely duo must learn to trust each other if they want to discover the deep secrets hidden in the heart of the city, uncover the real enemies moving against them, and embrace the attraction neither can deny…all while facing down the return of the greatest threat the world has ever known.

Fans of The Witcher and Ilona Andrews will love this epic tale of adventure and romance.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Lord Rognozi and his wife are dead.”

The words made no sense for a second. Then they took Zelen’s breath away as thoroughly as any of his mother’s lectures or the beatings his father had ordered. Gedo wasn’t putting in nearly as much effort as had gone into the other incidents: he was either very talented or very fortunate.

“When? How?”

It would have been unsurprising for Lord Rognozi to have perished quite naturally and uneventfully, and dimly possible that his wife might not have survived the shock and sorrow of it, though it would’ve run counter to what Zelen knew of the lady. That wouldn’t have brought Gedomir to his bedroom.

“Murdered. Butchered, in fact, late last night. If you want the more sordid details, I’m afraid I didn’t ask for an anatomical report. I’m given to understand that the servant who found them is in a state of shock.” He smoothed an imaginary strand of impeccable hair back from his brow. “And your…envoy…has vanished. As has her very large, very likely magical sword.”

“She’d never—”

Zelen lunged forward, with no notion of what the motion might achieve. Denial simply demanded action.

As he’d so frequently done in their past, Gedomir smiled with lofty derision, not to mention a share of pity. “She has, I’m afraid. You’re welcome to try and convince me that a burglar broke into one of the best-warded noble houses in the city and did nothing but slaughter the inhabitants, or that a servant with years of service suddenly went unstoppably berserk in a manner that didn’t rouse the attention of the others in their quarters.”

Colors faded from the world. Zelen sat silently and Gedomir fell silent as well as Idriel stepped in, carrying a tray of tea and cakes. He put it down in front of Zelen and glanced between him and Gedomir: Shall I pretend you have another engagement?

Zelen shook his head. Even that motion took an almost unsupportable amount of strength. “Thank you, Idriel, that will be all,” he said by rote.

“Very good, sir.”

“It may not be entirely her fault, granted,” Gedomir said. “I can perceive no motive for the action, regardless of what others may think, given what you’ve told me of her nature. The Criwath court, or even subversive agents there that Olwin knows nothing of, may have placed a spell on her for this purpose. Or her experiences in the war may have caused damage that hid until now.”

“If she did it,” Zelen said, “I’m certain that it wasn’t of her own will.”

“I’m certain that you’re certain. And Father and I are prepared to take that into account,” Gedomir said, spreading his hands. The ring with Verengir’s crest, his only ornament, gleamed in the pale light of the autumn morning. “Honestly, the information she can provide is more valuable than any vengeance would be—the Dark Lady can wait on her claim. Father thinks the rest of the council might even see a case for clemency, if the circumstances are right.”

“Does he?”

“Would I speak falsely?” Gedomir’s lips tightened, but then he relaxed. “I understand that you’re…biased, but for once your proclivities may have been useful. There’s clearly more here than simple murder. Father and I are prepared to investigate it and to argue as much in the face of all opposition—once you retrieve the woman, of course.”

There was rock under her cheek and blood in her mouth. Her arms were sticky—probably more blood—and a net of pain wrapped her whole body, fiercest around her right knee and her left eye. Branwyn was fairly sure her nose was broken too.

All of that was comparatively minor. She’d been injured more severely in the past, though not often, and the healing of a Sentinel was already doing its work, pulling bones and muscles back into place. Even the knee, which would likely have crippled a normal person for life, would give her only a few days of trouble. Branwyn knew as much, and none of her wounds troubled her.
She had no room in her mind to worry about them anyhow. As consciousness returned, she searched her memory for the fight that must have taken place and found only blankness, then paralyzing fear.

After the ball, she’d felt uneasy about the Rognozis’ house. She’d gone to get Yathana. From that moment, she remembered nothing concrete: she had a dim recollection of the world spinning, of a sword in her grip and the smell of blood and death, but that was all.

Now she was—her eyes focused, one considerably slower than the other—in an alley, in the early morning, wearing the blood-soaked remains of her ball gown.

Yathana was gone.

Her memory had an enormous hole.

There was blood on her arms, up to the elbows, and she couldn’t feel any cuts there.

What happened? was her third question.

Where’s Yathana? came in second.

The first was What did I do?

***
Excerpted from The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper. © 2021 by Isabel Cooper. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author During the day, ISABEL COOPER maintains her guise as a mild-mannered project manager in legal publishing. In her spare time, she enjoys video games, ballroom dancing, various geeky hobbies, and figuring out what wine goes best with leftover egg rolls. Cooper lives with two thriving houseplants in Boston, Massachusetts.

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Bookshop, BAM, or Books2Read.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Colorful Book Covers

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of these books have nice splashes of color on their covers, don’t you think? I haven’t read any of them yet, so do let me know if you’ve read and enjoyed any of them when you comment.

1. A Million Worlds with You (Firebird, #3) by Claudia Gray

2. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Dead Astronauts (Borne #2) by Jeff VanderMeer

3. Dead Astronauts (Borne #2) by Jeff VanderMeer

4. A Tyranny of Petticoats (A Tyranny of Petticoats, #1) by Jessica Spotswood

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6. The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy, #2) by Katherine Arden

7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

The Undercover Captain by Henry Vogel

8. The Undercover Captain by Henry Vogel

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare

9. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare

10. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon