A bodyguard of lies by Donna Del Oro - Book Spot Light

Romantic Suspense

Date Published: 06/08/2016

FBI analyst Jake Bernstein is recruited to go undercover and investigate an American grandmother wanted for war crimes during WWII but currently on a tour of England and Ireland with her granddaughter. Jake joins them and runs into complications when his growing attraction to the woman's granddaughter challenges his obligation to remain emotionally detached. As the investigation intensifies, a neo-Nazi group tries to prevent him from learning the truth and Jake struggles to stay alive long enough to either prove the woman's guilt or exonerate her.

Despite Meg Larsen's mounting passion for the stranger who has joined their tour, she suspects he's not who he claims to be. When she realizes her grandmother, the woman who raised her, is the target of the man's investigation, her first instinct is to protect her. Eventually, however, Meg must face the possibility of her grandmother's lifetime of lies while forced to trust a man who has become both their nemesis and bodyguard.

NY Times bestselling author Brenda Novak says of A BODYGUARD OF LIES, Book One in the Jake Bernstein Mystery Thriller series, "The past and the present collide in this intriguing romantic thriller that captures the angst and pain a lifetime of lies can cause...combines politics, romance and history. This story positively captivates!"

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Books that I read in July - WTFOW #DAY7

Wow! So, this is the last day in write tribe festival of words marathon. I can't believe that I could finish this one week marathon.

I joined the marathon in a dilemma if i should attempt this. While I am busy with my 2 kids I didn't get time to even schedule my posts. So, I wrote randomly at any time of the day whenever I got time and mostly in the nights after everyoneeveryone slept. A big thanks to the write tribe group which kept us motivating to write everyday. Also, all the best for bloggers who are continuing the marathon in blog chatter.

Now, coming to my reading list for this week.

The Devil’s prayer by Luke Gracias
This historical fiction is a wonderful read. It kept me glued to the book till the end. Like a Dan Brown's novel, this has a lot of facts and mysteries about ancient texts and religion. Read my review here.

Black water tales by Jean Nicole
I am reading a horror after a long time. It's wonderful and gave me creeps. Though I didn't like climax, it's entertaining throughout. Read my review here.

Jamba the joint family by Sriram Balasubramanian
This is a quick and light read about the joint family culture in Chennai, India. The narration is interesting with a pinch of humour. I could reminisce my hostel days in Chennai while reading this. Here is my review.

Until next time,

A healthy twist to the normal diet - WTFOW #day 6

Everyone is going health conscious these days. People changed a lot, don't you think?
Many started drinking green tea, avoiding rice in the nights, moving to organic and more traditional varieties etc., It's contradictory, but I am observing a tendency towards Junk food like burgers, pizza and coke and also a tendency towards organic and low carb diet. Even though we are very health conscious, we cannot get away with the craving for tasty high-calorie food. I was thinking, how good it would be to add a healthy twist to our normal diet.

Here are some options that I found:

1. Oats dosa

Dosa (a pancake made from fermented batter) is a very common breakfast in South India. Usually, we use 1 cup of urad dal and 2 cups of rice for the batter. But, to give a healthy twist, we can add 1 cup of urad dal, 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of oats. I tried it and couldn't see any difference in consistency or taste, so works for me :-)















2. Vegetable salads

There are two types of salads that i try - cooked and uncooked.

Cooked: I use potatoes, tomatoes, french beans, carrots and capsicums to boil in a pressure cooker with one or two whistles. Then, I fry chopped garlic cloves, green chilies in olive oil, mix them with the boiled vegetables and squeeze lemon juice. This made my salad taste better. Have you ever tried this?

Un-cooked: We don't have many options to make the uncooked salad. We can try changing the types of vegetables and using a low fat dip/ dressing. I use spinach, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, capsicum, cherry tomatoes. I haven't tried yet but we can prepare a dip with greek yogurt, minced garlic, minced parsley and grounded black pepper.

3. Chicken Soup

I have learned recently to prepare chicken broth which can be used as a base for chicken soup. I pressure cook chicken, ginger, garlic, Indian spices (very less), broccoli, celery sticks, capsicum, coriander leaves, coriander powder, salt, and pepper. Filter this and store it in freezer as broth. Whenever I want to make soup, I boil this broth with chicken pieces, vegetables of my choice with a handful of oats(to get thickness) , salt, coriander powder, and pepper. Isn't it simple for dinner?

Do you also add any easy healthy options to your diet? Do let me know in comments. Would be happy to implement :-)

Until next time,

Linking this to Write Tribe Festival of Words - Day 6.

Ps:All images from google labeled for non-commercial reuse.

To Swallow the Earth - Promo

Western / Suspense

Premio Publishing & Gozo Books

Date Published: July 2015

Winner 2016 International Book Award (Suspense, western), 2016 Laramie Award finalist, Literary Classics Seal of Approval. 

108 years in the making! What if you came home after a journey and your family was no longer there? What if someone else was living in your house, running what you used to manage—and trying to kill you?

Wade Forester must stay in the shadows because, it seems, everyone has reason to shoot him. His father has disappeared, and his sister won’t speak a word to anyone. Beautiful Patricia Laughlin is searching for her family as well. Few people gain her trust or approval, though powerful landowner Bridger Calhoun just might be the man to do it.

After a clash throws them to opposite sides, Wade must decide if risking his life to help Patricia is worth the trouble. Bridger must win Patricia’s heart, and Patricia must learn which killer to trust with her life.

Set in Nevada’s historic silver rush, and reminiscent of Crichton, Grey, and L’Amour, the writing comes from intimate knowledge of the era and area. Having lived off the land, Wilcox depended on his wit, grit, and strength—and that of his animals—for survival, just as these characters do. Wilcox and Beckstrand weave authentic detail and care for the terrain and its creatures into a mystery that will make your heart pound and fill your lungs with the “rarefied air” of the old Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

Family Friendly book, 14+

About the Authors

Karl Beckstrand is the award-winning author of fifteen juvenile books and more than 40 ebook titles (reviews by Kirkus, The Horn Book blog, School Library Journal, ForeWord Reviews). Raised in San Jose, California, he received a B.A. in journalism from BYU, an M.A. in international relations from APU, and a certificate from Film A. Academy. Two publishers produced his early multicultural children's books; since 2004 he has run Premio Publishing & Gozo Books. An engaging speaker, consultant, and workshop facilitator, Beckstrand has experience in high tech, public policy, film, radio, and TV broadcasting--including scripts, speeches, and Web content. He teaches media at a state college and contrasts traditional publishing with digital book publishing. His YA fiction, ebook mysteries, nonfiction/biographies, Spanish & bilingual books for kids (with pronunciation guide), short stories, wordless books, and picture book app feature diverse characters of color and usually end with a twist. He has lived abroad, been a Spanish/English interpreter, and enjoys volleyball and kayaking (usually not at the same time). Beckstrand has presented for SUECON (education conference), Taiwan's Global Leadership for Youth, California's Capital Book Festival, Utah Educational Library Media Association, Salt Lake City Book Festival, PCI Webinars, Utah Humanities Council, Murray City Writer's Workshop, Utah Housing Coalition, Midvale City Reading Program, Utah Office of Education, professional groups, and schools. His racially diverse work has appeared in: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Border's Books, Costco, Deseret Book, The Children's Miracle Network, The Congressional Record of the U.S. House of Representatives, Papercrafts Magazine, LDS Film Festival, various broadcasts, and PremioBooks.com. Find: "Karl Beckstrand" on FB, Twitter, KarlBeckstrand.com 

Ransom Wilcox was born in Taber, Alberta, Canada in 1907. The family moved to Vina, north of Chico, California. They farmed, tended livestock, and did a lot of hunting and fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Once, to escape a charging wild boar, Wilcox stuck a pole he was carrying in the ground and climbed up! Financial hardship forced them to move often. One season the family lived in a tent while the men cut hay. Another year, Wilcox joined his father and brothers in Arizona, building a school on an American Indian reservation. Many elements of Wilcox’s stories come from his early experiences. In 1943 Wilcox enlisted in the army. After the war, the Great Depression, and a divorce, Wilcox finished his schooling and opened a chiropractic practice off Union Square in San Francisco. Wilcox’s friends called him Ray or Doc. Besides writing, Wilcox loved to walk in the great outdoors. Near the end of his life, he joked about leaving his body to science; “I’m sure they can use my brain. It’s in perfect condition—never been used.” His short stories and poems are published under the title, Horse & Dog Adventures in Early California.

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My Top 5 Favorite Authors - WTFOW Day #5

My habit of reading started in my school age by reading stories. I used to take story books from our school library and read them at home. Slowly, I grew from reading story books, magazines(Tinkle Digest was my favorite), Sherlock holmes, Sidney Sheldon, Irving Wallace, Sudha Murthy to other different authors. Throughout this journey, there are some authors who made a permanent impression in my heart. I read and re-read  their books until I understood each and every sentence.

A few of them listed below but not in the order of preference. Actually, I cannot even compare them, as everyone is unique.

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Actually, the author's name never registered in my mind for a long time. I was soo deeply in love with Sherlock Holmes that I didn't think about the author name. Only after reading Sherlock Holmes' short stories and novels, I realized that I want to read more from this author. There is one historical fiction from this author that I couldn't get a copy to read. This was my first book review of Sherlock Holmes (Not a review technically, just my thoughts :-)).

2. Sidney Sheldon
This craze started in my teenage and continued after college too. I was mesmerized with his characterization, detailing, the way he sets the context, the plot, twists, and turns in the story. I have  read almost all of his works and would like to read them again. This was my last book of Sidney Sheldon.

3. Dan Brown
I love the chases and puzzles in his books. The mystery element, fast pace, plot and his detailed research draws me to his books. I missed his recent book, but this was my earlier review on one of his books. Definitely, I love to read his books again and again.

4. Irving Wallace
I love his books a lot for drama, characterization, the plot and his research on the subject. He wrote on various topics and his knowledge on the subject is fantastic. His novels are like Sidney Sheldon's in terms of mystery element,but the plots are very unique. I love this book a lot about the Hitler's last days.

5. Erich Segal
Erich Segal's characters are very realistic and after reading the novel we cannot easily forget them. This novel gives so much information on doctor's day to day lives, their challenges with a fantastic story in the backdrop. I loved each and every character in this book. This is one of the high volume books that I read (600+ pages) and completed it in very short time. Other novels from the author like 'The Love story' and 'Man Woman and Child' are also fantastic reads.

I would like to thank all the wonderful authors who made book reading enjoyable. I love the other author's works also like Sudha Murthy, Amish Tripathy, Devdutt Patnaik, Indu Sundaresan etc., 

Happy Reading!

Linking this to the blog hop hosted by book r3vi3w tours and Write Tribe festival of words - Day #5.

Until next time,

The Black Gaurd by C R Daems - Book Spot Light

Science Fiction 

Publisher: Talon Novels

ISBN: 978-1497558687

ASIN: B00JGF7XIC

Pages: 273

As the least favored child, it was no surprise when Rivka's father selects her, at age six, to comply with the country's conscript law. Sent away to the military to be raised and trained, she struggles to keep from falling into an abyss of despair. Only when she adopts a new friend's dream of becoming a member of the elite Black Guard does she find a new reason to live.

Few make it into the Black Guard, but Rivka is determined. Yet when she makes it and is sent on her first mission, to protect a ruling family during a revolution, she discovers to her dismay that the Black Guard may not be as perfect as she had believed. Thus Rivka begins a journey that will change her and the Black Guard forever.

Other Books in the Series:

Publisher: Talon Novels

Published: December 2015

ISBN: 978-1519424655

ASIN: B018UGBMMA

Pages: 245

Dragon Sapir is back, and the Jax Military will never be the same.

The Jax Contract Committee has released Rivka to take assignments, and her first involves her in a plot by several Systems within the Helix collection of systems to destroy the Jax. As the plot spreads, she is given assignments to combat the threat. Soon she becomes the JCC's problem solver for ill-advised and potentially ruinous contracts the JCC is forced to accept, including one by the United Freelands who is seeking revenge on her for their embarrassing defeat on Suryah.

Rivka has become the agent of change, an essential evolution if the Jax is to survive.

About the Author

Clem Daems is a native of Chicago, Illinois and a graduate of the University of Arizona. He served twenty-two years in the US Air Force. Since then, he has worked as a software engineer, course developer, and adjunct professor, teaching mathematics and Computer Science.

He has always been an avid reader of Science Fiction/Fantasy but never had an interest in writing or being an author. So, it was surprising when he began his first novel, several years after his retirement, at age seventy. His first novel, co-authored with Jeanne Tomlin, "The Talon of the Raptor Clan"--recently reissued as the "Talon of the Unnamed Goddess"--was a 2010 EPPIE finalist in Fiction/Fantasy.

Clem is an award winning author and an active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.

His hobby--a life-long one--has been Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Clem is currently retired and living in Tucson, Arizona with his lovely wife of fifty-plus years.

He would enjoy hearing from you on any topic: his books, the characters, writing with a co-author, Kung Fu, his website (crdaems.com) or (talonnovels.com), life after retirement, or...

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Until next time,

Transition to stay at home mom - WTFOW day #4

This is one of those rants that might bore you.
I have been busy since 2 months and Iam blogging on the go from mobile mostly.

So, what's keeping me busy?

Transition from working mother to stay at home mom

Many doesn't believe me when i say , working and managing 2 kids is easier with some support(maid, cook and day cares) than managing kids all alone at home without any support.

I think, I am still not used to the routine of cooking, cleaning and managing kids. The major difference is that I am missing my 'me' time. I miss those light hearted talks with colleagues at lunch and coffee breaks. I miss the enjoyment of work, meetings, deadlines, pressure etc.,

An emptiness surrounding me
I am not feeling complete by the end of the day. Something is missing. I wanted to do something more than cooking and taking  care of kids. So I do a lot of research on utilizing my time and thus making myself busy and restless. Besides, there is a guilty feeling that I am not engaging kids properly if they watch videos and play games for more time.

I think, I should compromise on not being perfect and think practically on what possibly can be done for my inner peace.
I appreciate if you have come till this line and read my silly blabber.

Did you ever leave work and stayed at home? How did you cope up with this kind of transition?
I will be happy to hear the opinions of other mommy bloggers ☺

Until next time,

Linking this to Write tribe festival of words #5 - day 4.

Crossroads by F R Merril - Book Spot Light

Suspense

A Camino Tale, is an easy-to-read, travel adventure, with a touch of suspense. As an unpublished manuscript it was the winner (in that category) at the Great Southwestern Book Festival.

Mountain ranges, Ocean Breezes, And Revenge

Seven women come together to journey across Spain. Unsuspected, one member arrives with hatred in her heart and revenge is her only mission.

Lives are threatened, emotions peaked, and miracles abound on this physically demanding hike over 550 miles of Spain’s most beautiful countryside.

About the Author

F. R. Merrill, author of the Straton Trilogy) The Final Act, Crossroads, and Murder in Mosaic, and storyteller since 1993 bases her stories on adventures from cycling across the U.S. in several directions, cycling the Almafi Coast, cycling from Vienna to Budapest, cycling the Himalayas in Bhutan, and more. She hiked the Camino Del Norte in Spain in 2006, and since childhood has always painted and sculpted. She’s devoted to studies relating to her Native American heritage, and spiritual understanding.

Merrill is married, lives in Melbourne, Fl., assists The Special Spotlight Theater, (helping the challenged build pride through dance), and is a member of the Florida Historical Society, Brevard Cultural Alliance, and Zonta International (fighting against human trafficking).

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My Love for Instagram - WT Festival #day3

I had come across 'Instagram' in 2012 and I instantly loved it. Not because it is the best platform to share your favorite photos with your friends, but for the filters that made my pictures look great.

I am not a great photographer, but I love capturing lovely moments of my life and watch them later when I need inspiration and motivation. Since I have only basic skills in photography, I am not sure how to adjust the lens, focus an object and blur the background, set the lighting etc., When I first got introduced to the number of filters in Instagram, it was a fantastic experience. I never shared much of my personal photos but I clicked day to day pics and nature a lot.

I have stumbled upon #photoadayJune instagram challenge last month in marathon bloggers facebook group. The challenge was to post one photo a day throughout the month of June and I  jumped with excitement to join the fun. A few prompts were dead easy, a few were fine and a few were very tough. Somehow, I managed to complete the challenge in June and here is a snippet of the challenge.

A collage of some photos from Challenge

Prompt -Gold

Prompt -Water 

For the prompt 'Vibrant'

Although I love instagram, I had bad time with it. I don't know how,  but my account was hacked once and it showed me following atleast 2000 unknown people. 😩
Somehow I retrieved my account back but couldnt remove every one from my 'following ' list. Still finding a way or an app to do mass unfollow.
So, this is my Instagtam story, do you have any strange story with social media?

Until next time,