Book Review: Girls’ Night Out by Glynis Astie
November 27, 2018 by A Slice of Orange in category Book Reviews by Geralyn Corcillo tagged as besties, girls' night out, Glynis Astie, new release, romantic comedy, romcomGirls’ Night Out by Glynis Astie is just released and available now! I adored indulging in this book – a hilarious and heartfelt romp that conjures up the bubbly glee of The Facts of Life and the sassy wisdom of The Golden Girls.
Amanda, Jayne, and Holly have been best friends since girlhood. And now, with their thirties on the horizon, they still have each other’s backs as they gossip, goad, and, well, get tipsy. Amanda has always been fabulous, successful, and in control – but can her besties help her navigate the unexpected curve ball life throws her way? It is such fun watching Amanda bulldoze her way through life in stellar footwear even as her playbook is being ripped to shreds.
Jayne has been working her butt off for years trying to get that promotion to anchor at her local news station. But her new boss Tony is determined to make her life miserable, treating her like a cub reporter who just fell off the turnip truck. Who cares if he’s really hot? He’s a total jerk. Okay, so maybe everyone can’t see what a jerk he is … but he totally is! As that anchor chair comes within her reach and she starts falling for Tony, Jayne realizes that as an ambitious reporter with goals of advancement, she will have to make a decision between her dream job and her dream guy. And she’s pretty sure that not even her best friends can help her out of this dilemma. Oh, how I feel for Jayne and her turmoil throughout this book, even as she tries to dodge the really tough decisions with some pretty spectacularly ill-advised shenanigans!!
Holly just wants life to feel right for a change. It always feels so wrong. Wrong job, wrong guy, wrong hairstyle. Can her best friends offer any guidance? They are such movers and shakers and Holly just … isn’t like them. It seems that Link, the nerd she’s been friends with since grade school, is the only one who truly gets her. And he’s not such a nerd any longer… Following Holly’s story is just such a charming delight!
As you lose yourself in this romcom, Astie will make you feel like you are sitting at the table with your own margarita, ready to jump in with your two cents that might be anything from warm to snarky. You will feel that you are a part of a an intimate circle of friends, always ready to laugh, cry, or pass the fries. Girls’ Night Out by Glynis Astie, Available now!
Author Spotlight on Kat Martin
October 18, 2018 by A Slice of Orange in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight tagged as bestseller, fiction, Kat Martin, new release, romance, romantic suspense, suspence
New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, BEYOND CONTROL, hit both big lists … NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST as well as the USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS LIST. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.
Her November 1st release is WAIT UNTIL DARK.
P.I. Jonah Wolfe knows trouble when he sees it. So when April Vale storms into his office at Maximum Security, all his warning signs flash red. April’s been accused of murder, except she has no memory of how she woke up in her coworker’s bed–drenched in his blood–shot with her gun. As the campaign manager for the mayor, April’s job is on the line. Even worse, her life may be on the line if she doesn’t figure out who’s trying to frame her.
The clock is ticking and the pair must find the killer… before April winds up dead.
WAIT UNTIL DARK
Excerpt
Kat Martin
The sound of voices cut through the pounding in her head, dragging her from a dark void into the light of day. As uniformed policemen streamed into the bedroom, April Vale looked down at her naked body and saw a sea of blood soaking the mattress. A naked man lay beside her, a bullet hole in the center of his chest.
A scream tore free as she recognized David Dean, Mayor Rydell’s campaign manager. Then strong arms hauled her upright and a wave of dizziness hit her, making her stomach roll. One of the officers draped a blanket around her bare shoulders and they hustled her over to a chair by the window.
Fighting a fresh wave of nausea, April gripped the blanket, her body shaking head to foot. “What…what’s happening?” She didn’t realize her hands were being cuffed together in front of her until she heard metal clanking and cold bands of steel wrapped around her wrists.
“What’s your name?” The room swarmed with policemen. The one in front of her was stocky and balding, in his early forties. A pair of EMTs rushed into the room and began working over the bloody man on the bed, but his eyes were open and staring at nothing and she knew he was already dead.
April swallowed the bile in her throat and fought to clear her head, but when she tried to remember where she was or how she got there, all she came up with was a blank.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said, trying to keep the blanket around her.
“This will all go smoother if you cooperate,” the stocky policeman said. “Tell us your name.”
“I’m…I’m April. April Vale.” She glanced over at David. The hole in his chest seemed even bigger and bloodier than before.
“Can you tell us the name of the victim?”
Victim. A thick lump rose in her throat, threatening to choke her. “That…that’s David Dean. We work for Mayor Rydell.”
A young officer with black hair slicked straight back from his forehead walked up. “Looks like we’ve got the murder weapon, Sarge. It was right there on the floor next to the lady’s purse.”
April frowned, her mind foggy again. “Wait…wait a minute. What’s going on? I don’t understand.” Her fingers tightened on the blanket, trying to keep it in place over her naked body. “I don’t know how I got here. I don’t remember what happened.”
A gray haired man in a navy blue suit brought the gun over in a plastic bag. She recognized the little .380 she carried for protection.
I’m Detective Sullivan. Does this belong to you, Ms. Vale?”
She took a deep breath. “I think it’s mine. I have one like that. I have a legal permit to carry.”
The EMTs began checking her over, her blood pressure, her vision, whether or not she had a concussion.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” one of them said, “have her checked out, get a blood sample.”
“Hospital? I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
A female police officer walked up just then. “We’ve cuffed your hands in front of you so you can hold onto the blanket. If you cooperate, we’ll leave them that way. If not, we’ll have to cuff them behind your back.”
She closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. “You think I shot him? I don’t even know how I got here.”
The woman’s expression never changed. “You need to go to the hospital. We need to make sure you’re okay. If you were drugged, it’ll show up in your tox screen.”
Tox screen. Drugs. Her pistol and a dead man.
That’s when it began to sink in how much trouble she was in. That’s when April’s brain finally started working and she began to figure out what she needed to do–before things got a whole lot worse.
At the sound of the glass front door swinging open, Jonah Wolfe looked up to see a tall, leggy redhead walk into the office.
“I hope she’s looking for me.” Jason Maddox, one of the country’s top bail enforcement agents and one of Jonah’s best friends, had an eye for beautiful women. This one definitely met Jase’s exacting standards.
But being a former undercover police officer, Jonah noticed more than her stunning face and figure. Her hands were shaking as she approached the receptionist desk and her face was pale. He wondered what kind of trouble the lady was in.
“May I help you?” The receptionist, Mindy Stewart, shoved up the tortoiseshell glasses perched on the end of her nose. She was petite and cute, and smart enough not to date any of the confirmed bachelors who worked at Maximum Security.
“My name is April Vale. I’m looking for Jonah Wolfe.”
When Maddox groaned his disappointment, Jonah’s focus sharpened on the redhead. He rose from behind his desk and started toward the front of the office. A waiting area with a dark red tufted leather sofa and matching chairs, oak coffee and end tables, gave the place a western feel that perfectly suited the misfit Texans who worked there.
“I’m Wolfe,” Jonah said when he reached her. “What can I do for you?” His gaze ran over her, taking in her spectacular curves. He couldn’t help hoping she needed him for something a lot more intriguing than his skills as a private detective.
He might have smiled, would have if a TROUBLE sign wasn’t stamped in the middle of the pretty lady’s forehead.
“My name is April Vale. Thank you for seeing me.
“No need to thank me, Ms. Vale. I haven’t done anything yet.”
“I’m hoping you will.” She had the face of an angel and legs that went on forever. But she was a redhead and all that fiery hair just ramped up the warning signs flashing in her big blue eyes.
“Is there somewhere we can speak in private?” April asked.
“Conference room. Follow me.” As he led her down the hall, she caught an appreciative glance from Jax Ryker and Dante Romero, the only other guys currently in the office, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“This way.” Jonah held open the door to a glass-walled chamber with a long oak table seating twenty. April walked in and he waited for her to take a seat.
She smoothed the navy blue pencil skirt she was wearing with a pair of sky high heels. She looked good. Classy but not completely untouchable. “As I said, I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice.”
“Not a problem.” Jonah leaned back in his chair. “All right, April, why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
She took a deep breath, drawing his attention to the full breasts he’d been doing his best to ignore. Since he never mixed business with pleasure, he shoved the buzz of attraction he was feeling to the back of his brain.
“I work for Mayor Rydell,” April said. “Currently I’m…. I was just released from police custody a short time ago, Mr. Wolfe. That’s…that’s why I’m here.”
Jonah straightened in his chair. “You were under arrest?”
“Officially, I haven’t been charged yet. But the charge could be murder.”
Jesus. He hadn’t seen that one coming. Now she really had his attention. Jonah leaned toward her. “So who did you kill, Ms. Vale?”
WAIT UNTIL DARK is available for pre-order and will be released on November 1st.
Other books by Kat Martin
Kat Martin – Romantic Suspense Author Extraordinaire!
June 2, 2018 by Jann Ryan in category Jann says . . . tagged as Kat Martin, new release, romantic suspense
New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, Beyond Danger, hit #4 in Mass Market fiction on the Bookscan National Bestseller list.
Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.
Several years ago I had the pleasure to meet Kat Martin. I was attending my first Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America meeting with two fellow writers. I knew very little about the organization and had no clue what to expect. To my surprise and delight while getting coffee at the refreshment table, I was greeted by none other than Kat Martin, one of my favorite authors. What made it more amazing was that I had just finished reading Gypsy Lord, her latest book, and never, ever thought I would actually meet her. Now here I am today in 2018, doing a Q & A with her. So, let’s get started.
Jann: You have a stellar list of Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. May 30th, Beyond Control, the third book in the Texas Trilogy made its debut. How do you do it? How do you keep writing these wonderful books?
Kat: Thank you so much for the compliment. I really try hard to come up with good characters. I try to find a good plot and hope I can make it all come together. I will say it is getting harder and harder to come up with new and interesting stories. But I’ll keep doing my best!
Jann: Where did you get the idea for the Texas Trilogy – Beyond Reason, Beyond Danger, Beyond Control?
Kat: I never really know where an idea comes from. It’s just sort of not there one minute and there the next. It’s just a kernel of an idea to start with then it expands during the course of writing the novel.
Jann: Tell us about Joshua Cain and Victoria Bradford from Beyond Control.
Kat: Tory is a strong woman but she has been beat down by life, losing her husband, raising a child, then hooking up
with a very bad man. Josh is exactly the kind of guy Tory needs because he’s strong and supportive. Coming out of the war in Afghanistan, he’s had problems of his own, but Josh is tough enough to handle them. They made a great couple to write.
Jann: Victoria has a four-year-old daughter, Ivy. When working on your characters and the plot, how do you decide if you want to have a child in the story?
Kat: Putting a child in the story makes the book much more difficult to write–at least for me. I don’t have children so I have to rely on interactions I’ve had with other people’s children and my husband’s sons and grandkids. Usually the story just calls for kids or it doesn’t. I just kind of go with my instincts.
Jann: What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?
Kat: At this stage, there is nothing I want to do I haven’t done–except maybe travel more. I used to joke that if I could start over, I’d be an astrophysicist. I love astronomy. It would have been an exciting career.
Jann: What is one of the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Kat: We stayed in a house on stilts in the middle of a violently flooding river. It was stupid and dangerous. We were lucky the house didn’t get swept away and drown us!
Jann: If you could travel back in time with whom would you like to meet and why?
Kat: Winston Churchill would be interesting. I’d also like to meet Margaret Thatcher, one of my personal heroes.
Jann: If a spaceship landed in your backyard and the aliens on board offered to take you for a ride, would you go? Why or why not?
Kat: I don’t think I’m ready for a spaceship ride. I’m a little too practical.
Jann: Do you ever run out of ideas? If so, how did you get past that?
Kat: I freak out when I run into an idea roadblock. Terrifying! I usually try to run through ideas with my husband. Just saying everything out loud often solves the problem. Sometimes going for a ride, taking a day off, going to the show will help. Anything to stir up fresh ideas.
Jann: How do you stay motivated? What drives you to keep writing?
Kat: I like the puzzle-solving aspect, the chance to be creative. Earning a living, of course, is part of the reason I write. I don’t think I would keep going if I had to work for free. I like getting rewarded for what I do. I love it when people like my books. That’s one of the best rewards.
Jann: It was great getting to catch up with you Kat and wish to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. If you have any comments or questions for Kat, please use the comment form below.
Kat has a guest post here on A Slice of Orange, Writing Dialogue. You can also read Geralyn Corcillo’s Book Review: BEYOND CONTROL. And finally, here are all three books in Kat’s Texas Trilogy. If you hover over the cover images a buy link will show up. Happy reading.
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BOOK REVIEW: Beyond Control by Kat Martin
May 27, 2018 by A Slice of Orange in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Things That Make Me Go Mmmrrh . . . by Geralyn Corcillo tagged as Afghanistan, bestseller, Beyond Control, books, domestic abuse, Kat Martin, marines, military, new release, novel, novels, on the run, ranch, romance, stallion, Suspense, Texas, thrillerBeyond Control by Kat Martin
When Victoria Bradford got engaged, she told herself to give love a chance. Six months later, she’s on the run from her angry, abusive ex-fiancé with her four-year-old daughter and nowhere to go.
Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere. That’s what its new owner, Josh Cain, wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.
One look tells Josh the pretty redhead with the adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But he’s seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend back in Phoenix is abducted and brutalized. Not even when it looks like their current problems are only the tip of the iceberg.
But if he gets too close to fierce, determined Tory, Josh knows his nights are going to be anything but quiet. And that’s one possibility no amount of training can prepare him for . . .
In this book, Kat Martin weaves together compelling characters and well-crafted plots, all to culminate in a thrilling, immensely satisfying ending.
When Josh Cain meets Tory Ford (aka Victoria Bradford), he quite likes her fiery red hair and cute behind. But that’s after we’ve already seen Tory’s true worth: her strength and courage shine through in the opening scene when she stands up to her monster of a fiancé Damon, a man who believes he owns Tory lock, stock, and barrel. Tory survives his nearly fatal beating, escapes, and keeps on surviving.
Once she gets to the Iron River Ranch, the attraction between Tory and Josh simmers and sizzles. We get heart-wrenching and thought-provoking glimpses into Josh’s heroic military career, a career that haunts him… in more ways than one. We meet the tough and charming Clara Thompson, the baby-sitting neighbor who can be trusted to the hills and back. We get to know the eminently likable Cole and Noah, former marines who work on Josh’s ranch. And we are introduced to Satan’s Star, a troubled stallion who has suffered, like Tory, at the hands of an abusive man.
But this warm, romantic, and exciting story becomes chilling as chapters from Damon’s POV begin creeping in as he hunts for Tory. He beats women, rapes women, and kills with abandon. When Damon gleefully and arrogantly kidnaps and rapes one of his victims, this scene is intercut with the sexual culmination of the flirtation between Tory and Josh. While the juxtaposition of sickening brutality with incandescent romance is viscerally disturbing, it is also ingenious in how it undercuts the romance, shifting the focus of the book away from the relationship between Tory and Josh and onto the battles both are facing as they try to elude and conquer the bad guys in their lives. The lovers must stop the villains and the story kicks into hyper-drive.
Josh’s friends and family circle around Josh and Tory, helping them both ward off and fight the evil blasting at them from all directions. The camaraderie is heartwarming; the suspense is so compelling it will have you flipping pages with the speed of a stallion.
And the ending? It is breath-taking, comprised of brilliance and absolute perfection in the narrative. And even to hint at it would be to do this tightly woven story a disservice.
Beyond Control is available in two days, on May 29. Happy reading! Pre-Order here.
Geralyn Corcillo is not only an avid and eclectic reader, but she is also the author of romantic comedy and women’s fiction novels, novellas, and short stories. Drop her a line– she loves to connect with readers on Facebook and Twitter!
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0 2 Read moreFeatured Author: Alina K. Field #amreading @A_SliceofOrange
October 28, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Alina K. Field, new release, October Featured Author of the Month, Regency romance, The Viscount's Seduction
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Award winning author Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature, but her true passion is the much happier world of romance fiction. Though her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California and hasn’t looked back. She shares a midcentury home with her husband, her spunky, blonde, rescued terrier, and the blue-eyed cat who conned his way in for dinner one day and decided the food was too good to leave.
She is the author of several Regency romances, including the 2014 Book Buyer’s Best winner, Rosalyn’s Ring. She is hard at work on her next series of Regency romances, but loves to hear from readers!
Visit her at:
http://alinakfield.com/
https://www.facebook.com/alinakfield
https://twitter.com/AlinaKField
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173518.Alina_K_Field
https://www.pinterest.com/alinakf/
https://www.instagram.com/alinak.field/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alina-k-field
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