Book Review: Echoes of the Storm by Charlene Newcomb

New Release, Echoes of the Storm by Charlene Newcomb

A spell-bounding space saga…

Charlene Newcomb has found her niche: male/male romance whether it be historical fiction as in her Battle Scars series (12th Century) or this new sic-fi release, Echoes of the Storm. (24th Century)

Excerpt:

Is this how it ends?

Jack Gamble swiped away the dark stray hairs clinging to his forehead. This defeat by Galilei-unimaginable. His people-dead, wounded, gone underground. The only thing worse? Fleeing with a small band of resistance fighters when he should have stayed behind to pick up the pieces.

His stomach tightened with guilt. He stared out the viewport from the jump seas as Encompass veered toward clouds tinged red by Torredo’s rising sun. Far below, a column of armored vehicles smoldered on the roadside, twisted, blackened scraps of metal. Fires in the capital created an eerie show of shadows and light across the early morning skies. The ship jinked through black, acrid smoke, which splattered the reddish canvas of clouds like brush strokes, a death mark for Jack and his comrades.

Book Review:

If you are a fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Battle Star Galactica, etc., you will enjoy this book. If you are not familiar with these stories and shows you might find yourself wondering about some of the terminology and acronyms.

This book is for an older audience, not suitable for young children. It contains violence, although not overly graphic and some sexual content and suggestive sexual content.

The story is set in the 24th Century. Jack Gamble’s home planet Torredo has been invaded by Galilei, and more specifically, Ari Norse, who wants to rule the galaxy.  Norse and Gamble were lovers. For Norse, it is all about power. For Jack is was about love. Now his mission is to free Torredo from the grasp of Galilei.

Newcomb does a good job of placing the reader inside the story. The characters and scenes come alive and the pace keeps the reader turning the pages. The story is filled with love, betrayal, secrets, politics, power, violence, death, destruction, and friendship.

About the author:

Charlene Newcomb lives, works, and writes in Kansas. She is an academic librarian by trade (recently retired), a U. S. Navy veteran, and has three grown children. Newcomb loves to travel and enjoys quiet places in the mountains or on rocky coasts. But even in Kansas, she can let her imagination soar.

Newcomb is also the author of the Battle Scars Series – Men of the Cross, For King and Country, and Swords of the King – about three knights in King Richard the Lionheart’s army.

 

*Note – I received an Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) for an honest review.

 

 

Released Today! Red Zone by Luke Murphy

Title: Red Zone

By: Luke Murphy

Publisher: ANM Books

Published: 15 July 2020

 

Back Cover Text:

The prodigal son…

Calvin Watters hasn’t been back to USC since the day his scholarship and humility were stripped from the former running back. Calvin had cut all ties to the school but now finds himself pulled back when a woman’s dead body is found on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum football field.

…returns home

Detective Charlene Taylor’s new homicide case, a freshman cheerleader’s murder at USC, is complicated. Charlene knows that the USC football team is a close-knit family, and getting inside the trusted circle, as a cop, is unlikely.

Calvin Watters is a game-changer…

When Calvin and Charlene meet up on the Coliseum turf, Charlene sees an opportunity to use Calvin to penetrate the Trojan family circle. Little does the detective know, Calvin is now an outsider at USC, no longer welcome–with many who will go a long way to see the former football star fail.

Can Calvin and Charlene work together to uncover the truth, or will their egos interfere with what could be a powerful partnership?

 

Bio

Luke Murphy is the internationally bestselling author of two series.  The Calvin Watters Mysteries: Dead Man’s Hand (2012) and Wild Card (2017). The Charlene Taylor Mysteries: Kiss & Tell (2015) and Rock-A-Bye-Baby (2019).

Murphy played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006. His sports column “Overtime” (Pontiac Equity), was nominated for the 2007 Best Sports Page in Quebec and won the award in 2009. He has also worked as a radio journalist (CHIPFM 101.7).

Murphy lives in Shawville, Quebec, Canada with his wife and three daughters. He is a teacher who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Education (Magna Cum Laude).

Red Zone is Murphy’s fifth novel.

For more information on Luke and his books, and to sign up for his newsletter visit:

www.authorlukemurphy.com

‘Like’ his Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/AuthorLukeMurphy.

Follow him on —

Twitter:   www.twitter.com/AuthorLMurphy 

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/AuthorLukeMurphy

Be the first to know when Luke Murphy’s next book is available! Follow him at:

www.bookbub.com/authors/luke-murphy to receive new releases and discount alerts.

 

 

 

Pre-Order Red Zone by Luke Murphy today!

Pre-Order RED ZONE ebook today!  Ebook Release date: July 15, 2020.

Back Cover Text:

The prodigal son…

Calvin Watters hasn’t been back to USC since the day his scholarship and humility were stripped from the former running back. Calvin had cut all ties to the school but now finds himself pulled back when a woman’s dead body is found on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum football field.

…returns home

Detective Charlene Taylor’s new homicide case, a freshman cheerleader’s murder at USC, is complicated. Charlene knows that the USC football team is a close-knit family, and getting inside the trusted circle, as a cop, is unlikely.

Calvin Watters is a game-changer…

When Calvin and Charlene meet up on the Coliseum turf, Charlene sees an opportunity to use Calvin to penetrate the Trojan family circle. Little does the detective know, Calvin is now an outsider at USC, no longer welcomed—with many who will go a long way to see the former football star fail.

Can Calvin and Charlene work together to uncover the truth, or will their egos interfere with what could be a powerful partnership?

 

Review Blurbs:

“Luke Murphy ramps up the thrill factor with RED ZONE—an awesome, gotta-know-what-happens-next thriller.”—Linda Castillo, NYT & USA Today bestselling author of the Kate Burkholder series

“Well-drawn characters and an interesting premise—Luke Murphy is a mystery writer to watch.”—DV Berkom, USA Today bestselling author of the Leine Basso series

“Red Zone is another winner for Murphy! Thrilling…riveting…a stay-up-all-night-read.”–Kim Cresswell, bestselling author of Deadly Shadow

“Luke Murphy creates a gritty and compelling murder mystery with ‘Red Zone’.”—S.L. Shelton, bestselling author of the Scott Wolfe series

“Richly developed characters, snappy dialogue, and a plot to keep the reader guessing.”–Peter Clement, bestselling author of the Earl Garnet series

 

Bio:

Luke Murphy is the International bestselling author of two series. The Calvin Watters Mysteries: Dead Man’s Hand (2012) and Wild Card (2017). The Charlene Taylor Mysteries: Kiss & Tell (2015) and Rock-A-Bye Baby (2019).

Murphy played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006.

His sports column, “Overtime” (Pontiac Equity), was nominated for the 2007 Best Sports Page in Quebec and won the award in 2009. He has also worked as a radio journalist (CHIPFM 101.7).

Murphy lives in Shawville, QC with his wife and three daughters. He is a teacher who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Education (Magna Cum Laude).

Red Zone is Murphy’s fifth novel.

For more information on Luke and his books, and to sign up for his newsletter, visit: www.authorlukemurphy.com

‘Like’ his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AuthorLukeMurphy.

Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorLMurphy and Instagram: www.instagram.com/AuthorLukeMurphy.

Be the first to know when Luke Murphy’s next book is available! Follow him at www.bookbub.com/authors/luke-murphy to receive new release and discount alerts.

 

Hello, Summer!

I have not posted since March.  Blame it on the pandemic and the fact that I was placed on Administrative Leave for almost three months before I began working from home.

The Administrative Leave time gave me lots of time to do home projects and little else.

I hope everyone is well and has many projects you are working on.

Here are a couple of upcoming new releases:

Luke Murphy, a former hockey player and writer, has a new release coming out soon titled Red Zone.  I will have a post about this in the next few days.  For now, know that the Ebook pre-order date is July 1, and the Ebook release date is July 15.

Charlene Newcomb is a retired librarian and author of the fantastic historic Battle Scars series has a new book, Echoes of the Storm that will be released on July 26.  While the Battle Scars series is about knights in King Richard the Lionheart’s army, Echoes of the Storm will take us to the stars.

Book Promotion Tip

Book Promotion Tip

Decorate your front yard by creating a poster of your book cover, laminating it and placing it in your front yard.

 

Is your book about a virus or pandemic?

The World Health Organization announced the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is now a global pandemic.

When I first heard about COVID-19, my thoughts went immediately to the movie Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman.

Does your book deal with a virus, a pandemic, a plague, etc.?  If so, brainstorm ways you can tie it to COVID-19.

Is your book categorized as a health genre? Can you tie it to COVID-19 and what people should be doing to prevent the virus?

Maybe you wrote a zombie story. Did zombies come about because of a virus?

While this pandemic is not something to celebrate, it is at the forefront of customers’ minds.

Just sayin’…

 

Book Promotion Tip

Book Promotion Tip

The Word Perfect

I am tired of being perfect. (In my humble opinion.)

Recently, I saw a Facebook post where a person wrote, “I am tired of being perfect. I am tired of being a perfect Mom. I am tired of being a perfect Wife. I am tired of being a perfect Housekeeper.” And a list of other things they were tired of being perfect about.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines perfect as “being entirely without fault and defect.”

I wrote a comment on the Facebook post that read, “I am glad you are tired of it. Nothing is perfect. It is an illusion.”

You might disagree with me and that is okay. You are entitled to what you consider is your perfect.

In my humble opinion, this is my view on perfect.

You see the perfect brand new vehicle and you purchase it. It is the perfect color, the perfect make and model, it has the perfect horsepower, it has the perfect wheels, it has the perfect interior, it has the perfect new vehicle smell. Everything about it is perfect.

Now take a closer look.

How many miles does the odometer read? It probably has less than twenty, if it is a brand new vehicle. Yet, it has mileage. It has already been used.

You say that is okay, that is to be expected. After all, they had to drive it off the assembly line, then drive it onto the delivery truck, then drive if off the delivery truck, and then park it on the dealer’s lot. Still, that perfect brand new vehicle is already used.

You drive your new vehicle to work or to do errands and you park it in the parking lot. The driver of the vehicle next to you is not so careful and they put a scratch or dent in your perfect vehicle. The dent or scratch is now a defect; an imperfection. Again, your new vehicle is not so perfect. Remember the definition of perfect is without defect.

***

As an author, you write the perfect story. Your characters are perfect. They have the perfect looks, the perfect hair color, the perfect eye color, the perfect mannerisms. Everything about your characters is perfect.

Readers want warts and all when reading a story. They want to know the good along with the bad. All of a sudden, your characters are no longer perfect.

The flawless skin now has a scar because one of your characters was in a battle and got injured. They now have a flaw, a defect to their once flawless skin.  Another character in an abusive rage murders someone. Your perfect character now has a fault. They are no longer what society would call a perfect person. (Yes, I totally get it. The character is then the perfect person to commit the murder in your story.)

***

Every flaw, every defect is what makes something either okay or not okay.

If you get a scratch on your new vehicle, you get upset. If you have the money, you might even take it to the auto repair shop to see if the scratch can be buffed out or touched up with some matching paint. After all, you want it to be perfect. If you don’t have the money, you will probably sigh, grimace, say a four-letter word, and eventually, you will live with the scratch on the paint telling yourself now the vehicle has a little bit of character or has a battle scar.

So, what makes it okay for you? Why do humans keep looking for that perfect something? Why do we keep telling ourselves everything has to be perfect?

Remember the definition of perfect, “being entirely without fault and defect.” In my humble opinion, it doesn’t exist.

We can tell ourselves that everything is perfect, when in fact we know deep down inside there is no such thing. It is an illusion and we are each happy with our own illusion of what perfect is.

If you are tired of being perfect or feeling that everything has to be perfect, I challenge you to think about what the word perfect really means to you.