Monthly Archives: November 2020

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | November 23, 2020 · 5:00 am

The Children of Time Blitz

The Children of Time Series, Book One

Science Fiction

What mysteries are hidden beyond the stars?

While most of the youngsters are concerned with faculty, friendships and even girlfriends, Nìcholas spends his hours with his head out of orbit; literally. Making the course of Astronomy, he feels better among gaseous bodies, supernova stars and black holes, dreaming in one day to unravel the great enigmas of the Universe. Until a mysterious girl enters the classroom …

And Nícolas discovers, excited, that he finds his own star. Zara is her name, the one whose hair looks like rays of sun, the only one capable of wringing the air – and the voice – of the young protagonist of this story. And, against all possibilities, something arises between then. But do not think that this is a teenage romance like so many that you have read, because Zara, contrary to what Nícolas thinks, is not what it seems. Coming from an unknown galaxy, she has a mission:

To attract Nicholas and take him to her planet, alive. At any cost. The success of her mission depends not only on her future, but on everything she believes in … including the future of humanity. When the truth appears, Nícolas is wrapped in a web of lies and intrigue that goes beyond everything he dreamed of. Between telekinetic powers, time gaps, and scientific data, space folds, revealing that the aliens we know are closer – and more like us – than we imagine. Dive with Chaiene Santos in this dizzying story, in which the author was able to unite, with perfection, incredible theories about the future of humanity. You will be surprised with this series, which is the most read in Wattpad in the science fiction category (Portuguese). Check and get ready to change your concepts.

Other Books in the The Children of Time Series:

The Origin of Life

The Children of Time Series, Book Two

The destruction of humanity lies not in the future, but in the past.

Several years have passed since Nicolas, Zara and Merko left behind the adventures in space, to have a common and quiet life on planet Earth.

All that’s left from the life among the stars are the memories and homesickness of the friends who are beyond time.

But the Dark Age reappears, and threatens not only the heroes of this story, but the future of the entire human race.

Mirov manages to escape and transforms planet Life, a place of peace, wisdom and justice, in a kingdom filled with fear. And to stop him once and for all, the princess Isadora, now an adult, can only count on Nicolas and his family.

The final war is approaching, and nothing else will be the same. Good and evil will confront each other in a plot that blends past, present and future in a way that no one will ever forget.

Amazon

The Battle of Gods

The Children of Time Series, Book Three

What can happen when the future tries to destroy the past?

On the villain’s hunt, Nicholas, Merko, Zara and all the allied team travel back in time when the great civilizations grew. What they don’t imagine is that a game of life and death awaits them, where the prize is the fate of the human race. Meanwhile, in the present times, little Helen discovers more about her offspring and powers, without imagining that there is an old enemy, lurking, ready to capture her and destroy all that Nicholas loves.

Get ready for the end of the trilogy that took the adventure beyond the limits of space-time. Contemplate the greatest battle ever seen in the ancient world. Discover some of the greatest secrets of mankind. Travel from New York to the Bermuda Triangle, in a climax full of twists, where nothing is what it seems.

With traces of science fiction, fantasy and dystopia, Chaiene Santos comes to the end of the trilogy The Children of Time, in an adventure that you’ll want to read in one breath.

Beware: the final battle has begun!

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The Children of Time tablet, phone, paperback

Excerpt

Nicholas was asleep with his face buried in his pillow when the alarm clock of his cell phone set off, playing a loud hard-rock melody that put him alert in a sudden fright. The boy checked the time.

“Shit! Going late to bed messes with my life every day. I’m late again!”

He took a fast shower and brushed his teeth. He put on any clothes, regardless if they matched or not, and ran as fast as a bullet through the kitchen, for no more than a glass of milk and two bites of a sandwich fixed by his mom. After sending her a kiss, the boy fled out of the kitchen, as it was typical of him, to catch the bus on time to get to college.

“Hey, dear, hold on! I need to talk to you!” His mother said, but he couldn’t talk to her right then, not if he wanted to take the next bus. At night, if he didn’t forget, he would ask her what it had been about.

Going to college, and amid the racket made by all the people around, the boy thought it would be a boring Monday, with its usual classes. He didn’t think anything would happen. Nicholas had no idea how his life would change from that day on, though…

About the Author

From Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian author Chaiene Santos has three passions in his life: writing, profession and family. On this literary journey, he takes off from Brazil for international trade with translated stories to English and Spanish on Wattpad and Amazon.

Soon, Chaiene became one of Brazil’s writers to be Wattpad Star and participate in Wattpad Studios programs. And currently, to expand the knowledge he studies scripts.

Around 200 thousand fans in social networks embark together and always thank Chaiene Santos for the captivating stories.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | · 5:00 am

The Formidable Earl Tour

Diamonds In The Rough, Book 6

Regency Romance

Release Date: November 17, 2020

He’s breaking the rules for one woman, and coming dangerously close to
falling in love…

Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding, knows he’s flawed. He’s arrogant, possessive, and haunted by a terrible choice he made long
ago. So when a former friend’s daughter gives him the chance to do a good
deed, he grabs it. Except he’d like to grab her as well and teach her a thing or two about kissing.
If only she weren’t so damn stubborn.

Ida Strong wants one thing – justice on behalf of her father. She has no
room for anything else, in spite of her growing and (at times)
inexplicable attraction toward a certain earl. But for a woman who knows
what betrayal tastes like, placing her trust in others is hard. Risking
her heart, would be downright foolish. Until it’s the only thing that
seems to make sense.

Other Books in the Diamonds In The Rough Series:

A Most Unlikely Duke

Diamonds in the Rough, Book 1

The Duke of Her Desire

Diamonds in the Rough, Book 2

The Illegitimate Duke

Diamonds in the Rough, Book 3

The Infamous Duchess

Diamonds in the Rough, Book 4

The Forgotten Duke

Diamonds In The Rough, Book 5

Series Link

EXCERPT

London
May, 1821
WEARY OF TRYING TO FIND an acceptable
bride, Simon Garrison Nugent, Earl
of Fielding, had ceased all attempts at marriage
and was currently avoiding debutantes much as he
would a leper. By keeping his distance. Instead, he
chose to pass his evenings with friends.
At his age of three and thirty, marriage was
expected. He knew it had to happen soon if he
was to maintain his dignity. After all, the longer
he remained unattached, the more it looked like
he’d not yet recovered from losing his fiancée to
another man.
It had been three years since the incident yet it
still rankled.
Gabriella, now the Duchess of Huntley, would
have made the perfect countess. The very idea of
her choosing an ill-bred ruffian, even if he did
happen to have a prestigious title, was bad enough
without Simon having to worry about what people
would think of the next bride he picked. She
would have to be at least as pretty, graceful, and
accomplished as Gabriella. Preferably more so,
which brought him back to the inadequacy of the
women currently available for marriage.
Seated in a quiet corner of White’s together with
Baron Hawthorne and the Earl of Yates, Simon
sipped his brandy and tried to force his thoughts
away from the past by focusing on what Yates was
saying.
“It was never meant to get this out of hand,”
Yates explained while looking precisely like the
sort of man whose neck was being squeezed by a
noose. He was a good fellow – one of the few who
seemed to tolerate Simon’s company – though
sadly too kind for his own good, seeing as he’d
gotten tangled up with an untitled woman who
lacked a dowry and connections. “All I meant to
do was help the girl. She’s a friend of my sister’s
after all.”
“If every man with a sister offered to step out
with all her unremarkable friends, he’d have gotten
himself engaged a dozen times over,” Baron
Hawthorne muttered. He tossed back the remainder
of his drink and poured himself another. “It’s
your own damn fault for being too nice.”
“He’s right, you know,” Simon said.
Stretching out his legs, he crossed them at the
ankles and cradled his snifter between his hands
while pondering Yates’s dilemma. Apparently
there had been a compromising situation which
just happened to have been witnessed by a group
of matrons hoping to find a reprieve from the
stuffy ballroom.
Simon sighed. “The trouble is,” he said, deciding
to meet Yates’s gaze dead on, “hell, the
trouble has always been, that she’s not your equal.
Socially, I mean.”
“Well done, Fielding.” Hawthorne said with a
smirk. “It’s always good to know you’ll remind us
of what’s acceptable.”
Simon fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Tell me
I’m wrong.” His demand was, as expected, met by
silence. Not even Yates attempted to argue. “Miss
Harlowe is not countess material. This doesn’t
mean she cannot be perfectly lovely, but no matter
how you turn it, she’ll always be born into the
wrong family.”
There was a heavy moment of silence, and then
Hawthorne asked, “Has your outlook on life
always been this sunny?”
Simon snorted. “I’m just trying to be realistic. If
Yates marries Miss Harlowe, he will no longer be
welcome in certain circles, people will talk, and
his life as he knows it will be forever changed,
which I very much doubt is something he wants.”
“From determined wife hunter to cynical
loner,” Yates murmured, his narrowed eyes fixed
on Simon with interest. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten
your eager pursuit of Gabriella Matthews.
Hell, you were even engaged to her for what, ten
seconds or so, roughly four years ago?”
“The Duchess of Huntley?” Hawthorne
inquired with wide eyes. “I don’t recall that at
all.”
“Three,” Simon clipped. “It was three years
ago.”
“You must not have been at the Coventry Ball
that season,” Yates said to Hawthorne. “Fielding
announced the betrothal – even kissed Gabriella
before one and all – only to let the whole thing
fizzle away into nothing. A short while later,
Huntley and Gabriella were married and you,”
Yates tilted his almost empty glass in Simon’s
direction, “haven’t proposed to anyone since.”
“Perhaps because I haven’t met anyone else
worth asking,” Simon said.
Yates leaned back, his expression suddenly distant
and thoughtful.
“I think you need to fall in love,” Hawthorne
told Simon with a grin.
“God forbid,” Simon muttered. Worrying over
his future was difficult enough without throwing
love into the mix.
“I don’t think he believes in love,” Yates said.
Simon gave his friend a deadpan look. “Of course
I do. There have been so many blissful unions of
late, I’m inclined to believe we live in a world full
of rainbows where cupids lurk behind every bush.
Hell, even Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St.
Giles – a man I would have sworn had no heart –
is smitten with his young wife.”
“Sounds like an epidemic.”
Simon snorted in response to Hawthorne’s comment
and took another sip of his drink.
“By the by,” Yates murmured in a more discreet
tone than earlier, “I’ve promised Celeste I’d try
and find her a new protector, in case this thing
with Miss Harlowe doesn’t blow over and I end
up marrying her.”
“I don’t understand why you’d want to give up
your mistress if you’re not in love,” Hawthorne
said.
“Out of respect for my wife,” Yates said. He
emitted a heavy sigh and looked at Simon. “I
don’t suppose you would be interested?”
“I’m afraid not. In my experience mistresses are
demanding and hard to get rid of.” His last one
had even made a spectacle, chasing after him on
Oxford Street when he’d tried to end things with
her. It had been most embarrassing.
“Celeste isn’t like that. She’s quite agreeable and
sweet.”
“Nevertheless,” Simon said.
“No wife or mistress,” Hawthorne said with a
pitying look that put Simon on edge. “You must
be in need of a good tup.”
“It’s not so bad,” Simon said.
Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “Really? How
long has it been since you last had a woman?”
Simon shrugged. He hated this – hated being
made to feel lacking in some way. Attempting to
show indifference, he busied himself with refilling
his glass. “Three months or so.”
“Damnation,” Yates murmured.
“Hell, it’s no wonder you look so tense.” Hawthorne
reached inside his jacket pocket, retrieved
a card, and handed it to Simon. “If I may, I suggest
you stop by Amourette’s on your way home
tonight.”
“It’s a brothel, is it not?” Simon asked. When
Hawthorne nodded Simon instinctively winced.
“I don’t think so.”

About the Author

Born in Denmark, USA TODAY bestselling author Sophie Barnes spent her
youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the
world. She’s lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and
speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian. But, most
impressive of all, she’s been married to the same man three times—in three different countries
and in three different dresses.

When she’s not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending
time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic
comedies and, of course, reading.

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Tagged as Book 6, Diamonds in the Rough, Regency Romance, Sophie Barnes, The Formidable Earl

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | · 5:00 am

Fireflies at 3am Reveal

SHOETRY

A fusion of poetry and short story in the narratives.

Date Published: December 12, 2020

Publisher: StoryMirror

‘Fireflies at 3 am’ brings a landmark new genre to the world of literature. It’s a book with the flow of poetry but the ebb of short stories – rightfully called “Shoetry”.

This creation takes you to the roots of humanity – stripping back the veneers of life, society and interaction to see people and their ways in an entirely new light.

About the Author

As a child, he was known to cook up stories to save his little ass or to pass his exams. Then he grew up a bit, only in age and size, and went to college. There, he wrote plays, won a few awards and was told to try his luck in advertising. Some kind soul, who had limited knowledge about advertising, told him that this field was all about wearing jeans to work and late-night parties. He needed no further persuasion, and without losing any more time, got into advertising.

Over the last 18 years, he worked at some of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, made some memorable ads, won international recognition for his work, and learned how to manage acid reflux. Life was OK, but he decided to complicate it by writing a book.

People nowadays avoid him like the plague lest he ask them to review his work. His children have started studying harder and his wife has taken up baking so that they can escape his nagging requests, every now and then, to read what he’s written. But all said and done, none of that has dampened his spirits. Currently, he is looking forward to selling over a million copies and is busy convincing each of his friends to buy more than 3 copies of the book. Sucker.

Contact Link

Instagram: @danni.shoetry

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | · 5:00 am

Sniper! Tour

A Natalie McMasters Mystery, Book 5

Crime Fiction

Date Published: November 16, 2020

Publisher: Tekrighter, LLC

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

A crazed sniper. A loved one wounded, in danger of death. The unforgiving
Fake News media. And a hidden villain more loathsome than any that Natalie
McMasters has encountered before.

Nattie’s in the crosshairs as a series of seemingly random
shootings terrorizes the city. She must fight to keep her polyamorous
family from disintegrating, her emotions from running wild and her
personal integrity uncompromised. This would be a formidable task for
anyone, much less a twentysomething college student who just wants to
graduate and get on with her life. Nattie must rely on old friends and
new, but how can she even, when friends can become enemies in the blink of
an eye? As Nattie nears an emotional meltdown, society collapses along
with her, as the sniper’s depredations take their toll on the
city.

Sniper! is a twisted, sexy, absolutely gripping descent into darkness jam
packed with nail-biting suspense. Don’t miss it!

EXCERPT

It’s 0300⎯oh dark thirty if I’ve ever been there. I’m driving down a two-lane road on a ridge. One side is a forest, the other overlooks a valley which is packed with homes. Suburbia, U.S.A.

Rounding a curve, I come to a place where the shoulder widens and tire tracks indicate that many have pulled off to enjoy a smoke or neck a little while looking down on the pastoral scene below. I follow suit, then shut off the engine and get out of the truck. This is my final firing position today. Going to the rear, I open the tailgate, flip up the bed cover, and climb in. I reach up and close the bed cover again, leaving the tailgate down.

I open the backpack I find inside and take out the pieces of my weapon system. It only requires a minute to assemble the rifle—insert the bolt into the receiver, screw the barrel on in front, followed by the suppressor, the bipod, then slap a mag of 7.62s into the bottom. I remove the lens caps from the scope, put the rifle to my shoulder, and rest the bipod on the tailgate. Only about an inch peeps out from under the bed cover, so it’s highly unlikely anyone driving by will even notice.

There’s only a quarter moon tonight, so it’s still too dark to survey the killing ground, but that’s OK. The most essential quality that a sniper must possess is patience. Lying as still as a corpse, I mentally review the mission parameters—insertion is complete, camo in place. All that remains is recon, carrying out the mission itself, and exfiltration from the FPP.

As the sun rises, the homes transform from a uniform grey to a colorful palette on a green background. This is an older neighborhood, so no two adjacent houses are alike. I begin my survey⎯ideally, I’d like to take out a target after they get into their car. That will be less obvious than dropping them in the driveway, allowing plenty of time to elapse before the body is discovered so I can be long gone. The streets of the subdivision begin to fill with traffic, but I don’t want to take out anyone who’s made it out to the road. The longer it takes people to realize what’s happened, the greater my chances of a clean exfil.

I catch a glimpse of movement in a driveway. A side door opens, and a boy about ten comes out. I capture him in the reticle, framing his head and shoulders. It’s short range⎯only about 100 meters. I take one more check of the surroundings and it’s a good thing. The door opens again and mom and little bro exit the house⎯I guess she’s driving everyone to school. I abort the target and look for another.

A few blocks away, a garage door opens and the rear of a car appears. Placing the reticle on the passenger window, I can see the silhouette of the driver inside, but the body of the auto provides enough concealment to make a precise shot impossible. I’m not looking to wound. I abort again.

Finally, patience pays off, as it always does. A guy comes out his front door and goes to his car in the driveway, parked with the front facing the street. It’s a red Mustang, and he caresses the hood as he passes in front of it⎯he really must love that car. He unlocks the driver’s door and slips inside as I put the reticle on him and make the range about 400 meters. I let him pull the door shut before I squeeze off a round, and I see him slump toward the passenger seat. Perfect left temple kill shot.

I open the bolt and eject the round, push forward to load another, and survey the scene once more. Shit. Here comes wifey, out the front door, holding his briefcase. She must be calling out, but he doesn’t hear her of course, so she walks over to the car to give it to him. It takes her a second when she bends down by the passenger door to realize something’s wrong. When she straightens up to scream, I squeeze off a round and drop her. Now I survey the area again, looking for witnesses. Back on the front door, a teenage girl is framed in the opening. She looks toward the driveway, and her mouth pops open in horror. She disappears back inside the house before I can get a round off. Shit! It was time to get outta Dodge two minutes ago.

I lay the rifle down on the towel I’ve placed there for it, climb out of the load bed, close the tailgate and hop in the truck. A car coming towards me passes as I fire the engine up. Good thing this state doesn’t require a license plate on the front. I put her in gear, check my mirror, then pull out in the road. I head for the highway where there’ll be lots of traffic to lose myself in.

Mission complete.

About The Author

Thomas A. Burns, Jr. is the author of the Natalie McMasters Mysteries. He
was born and grew up in New Jersey, attended Xavier High School in
Manhattan, earned B.S degrees in Zoology and Microbiology at Michigan
State University and a M.S. in Microbiology at North Carolina State
University. He currently resides in Wendell, North Carolina. As a kid, Tom
started reading mysteries with the Hardy Boys, Ken Holt and Rick Brant,
and graduated to the classic stories by authors such as A. Conan Doyle,
Dorothy Sayers, John Dickson Carr, Erle Stanley Gardner and Rex Stout, to
name just a few. Tom has written fiction as a hobby all of his life,
starting with Man from U.N.C.L.E. stories in marble-backed copybooks in
grade school. He built a career as technical, science and medical writer
and editor for nearly thirty years in industry and government. Now that
he’s a full-time novelist, he’s excited to publish his own mystery series,
as well as to contribute stories about his second most favorite detective,
Sherlock Holmes, to the MX anthology of New Sherlock Holmes Stories.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | November 22, 2020 · 5:00 am

The Frog at the Window Blitz

A Completely Wild Christmas Tale!

Children’s Picture Book, Holiday Picture Book

Published: November 2020

Publisher: Shake the Moon Books

While Katy and her family spend a snowy Christmas away at Grandma’s house, a cold and clever little frog jumps at the chance to move into their warm, empty home. Unfortunately, so does every other four-legged forest dweller in the area. With the perfect holiday vacation house overrun with guests, chaos quickly erupts until the group finds a peaceful solution in this holiday tale of tails. What begins as a break from the wintry woolly land transforms into an annual holiday tradition of kindness and generosity. The Frog at the Window is a Christmas tale with a message for every season!

Excerpt

Tonight was the very first storm of the year,

and surprising how much it had snowed.

The Randalls were packed and all ready for bed,

with plans to wake early and then hit the road.

“Now Christmas was only a few days away”,

thought Katy, relaxed by the tree.

“How will we ever reach Grandmother’s house,

when it’s snowing so hard I can’t see?”

And then as she sat staring into the night,

through the blustery, snowy white fog-

there stood, in the cold window’s lower right edge,

a tiny, green, shivering frog.

About the Author

Hailing from the tiny town of Seymour, Wisconsin, Scott Langteau grew up to become the single Producer involved in the creation of two of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful franchises in videogame history: Medal of Honor and Call of Duty. He has over 20 years of production experience, having worked with companies like DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Activision, Disney/Pixar, and the Jim Henson Company. Scott is the award-winning author of Sofa Boy, a grim yet fanciful cautionary tale for children about the perils of videogame addiction, The Question, a home-alone snowstorm adventure taken from the imaginative experiences of his youth in wintry Wisconsin, and his 2019 anti-bullying tale: BULLIED, a contemporary look at modern-day bullying and the impact it has on the futures of all involved. BULLIED was recently awarded the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in the category of Best Mind/Body Self-Esteem book.

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