Random Thoughts From a Tech Nerd

THE SIEGE: A NOVEL

Award Winning Author Marilyn Baron

Genre: Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Historical
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: January 8, 2018

A journey of self-discovery leads to love and passion in the search for a family’s hidden past...

Artist Theia Constas receives a tour of Italy from her grandmother as a college graduation present. Before she departs, her ya-ya’s deathbed revelation of a cache of WW II photographs and love letters extends Theia’s itinerary to Crete in search of her unknown grandfather, a promising artist who studied under Chagall but didn’t survive the war.

Wade Bingham, an actuary who always follows the rules and calculates the odds, finds himself alone on his honeymoon trip, wondering why his fiancée jilted him at the last minute.

In the wrong place at the wrong time when their hotel in Florence, Italy, is besieged by terrorists, the two strangers find themselves thrust together in Wade’s honeymoon suite. Immediately attracted to each other, Wade conducts a siege of his own to win Theia’s heart.

Purchase Links

Check out interesting snippets from a recent article published on Tripfiction as Marilyn Baron shares her love of Italy and Greece.

I love to travel and set most of my books in places I’ve visited. I’ve set three romantic thrillers in foreign locales...and my latest book, released in January 2018, The Siege: A Novel, set in Florence, Italy, and Chania, on the Greek island of Crete. Setting is always like a character in my books.

-----------------------

The Siege, a contemporary woman’s fiction,... transports the reader back in time to World War II Crete, so it has historical elements and it is also a thriller (when the book opens, the hero and heroine are trapped in his honeymoon suite during a terrorist attack on their hotel in Florence, Italy).

-----------------------

When I decided to write The Siege, I interviewed the man whose family was from Rhodes, and who generously shared their story about emigrating from the island, memories of his visit to Rhodes and life in the Sephardic Jewish community.

To read the full article on TripFiction, click here.

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. Her latest book, The Siege: A Novel, a mainstream women’s fiction set in Italy and Greece, released January 8, 2018, is her 14th novel with The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and her 23rd work of fiction. AmazonEncore republished her psychic suspense novel Sixth Sense in 2015. She is also one of six authors of Love Around the Table, a short story anthology published November 1, 2017. She’s published five short stories with TWB Press.

She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is The 2017 Finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in the Romance Category for Stumble Stones: A Novel.

A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism (Public Relations) and a minor in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm.

She serves on the 2018-2019 Roswell Reads Steering Committee and the Atlanta Authors committee and she presented on an Atlanta Writers Club panel at the 2017 AJC-Decatur Book Festival.

Read more about Marilyn’s books, short stories, and other works of fiction at http://www.marilynbaron.com.

Join Marilyn Baron's Newsletter: Marilyn Baron's newsletter.

Official website: http://www.marilynbaron.com

Social media links: Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

WIN $10 GIFT CARD AND MORE

1) $10 Amazon Gift Card
2) The Alibi eBook copy
3) Signed Print of Bird of Paradise by Florida Artist Sharon Goldman

Contest runs from April 24 - 30, 2018, 2018.

In partnership with

BOOK DISCOVERY TOUR
Hosted by Book Unleashed
February 8 - 12, 2018

Featuring an exciting lineup of books for your reading pleasure.
Check them out today.
And be sure to JOIN THE TOUR GIVEAWAY below too. It's FREE!

---

Click on any of the book covers below for more detailed info on each title.

WIN $20 GIFT CARD AND MORE

1. $20 Amazon Gift Card
2. $5 Amazon Gift Card from Sharon Buchbinder
3. Hot Deadly Desire by Judy H. (signed copy)
4. The Alibi by Marilyn Baron (ebook)
5. When a Duke Pursues a Lady by Tabetha Waite (ebook)
6. Wolf's Challenge (Stranger Creatures #1) by Christina Lynn Lambert (ebook)
7. Phantom Riders MC - Hawk by Tory Richards (ebook)
8. Choice of book from Golden Angel's Backlist (ebook)

Contest runs from February 8 - 14, 2018.

In partnership with

THE SIEGE: A NOVEL

Award Winning Author Marilyn Baron

Genre: Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Historical
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: January 8, 2018

A journey of self-discovery leads to love and passion in the search for a family’s hidden past...

Artist Theia Constas receives a tour of Italy from her grandmother as a college graduation present. Before she departs, her ya-ya’s deathbed revelation of a cache of WW II photographs and love letters extends Theia’s itinerary to Crete in search of her unknown grandfather, a promising artist who studied under Chagall but didn’t survive the war.

Wade Bingham, an actuary who always follows the rules and calculates the odds, finds himself alone on his honeymoon trip, wondering why his fiancée jilted him at the last minute.

In the wrong place at the wrong time when their hotel in Florence, Italy, is besieged by terrorists, the two strangers find themselves thrust together in Wade’s honeymoon suite. Immediately attracted to each other, Wade conducts a siege of his own to win Theia’s heart.

Purchase Links

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. Her latest book, The Siege: A Novel, a mainstream women’s fiction set in Italy and Greece, released January 8, 2018, is her 14th novel with The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and her 23rd work of fiction. AmazonEncore republished her psychic suspense novel Sixth Sense in 2015. She is also one of six authors of Love Around the Table, a short story anthology published November 1, 2017. She’s published five short stories with TWB Press.

She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is The 2017 Finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in the Romance Category for Stumble Stones: A Novel.

A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism (Public Relations) and a minor in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm.

She serves on the 2017-2018 Roswell Reads Steering Committee and the Atlanta Authors committee and she presented on an Atlanta Writers Club panel at the 2017 AJC-Decatur Book Festival.

Read more about Marilyn’s books, short stories, and other works of fiction at http://www.marilynbaron.com.

Official website: http://www.marilynbaron.com

To receive regular updates from the author, join Marilyn Baron's newsletter.

Connect with Marilyn Baron on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

WIN $25 GIFT CARD AND MORE

1) $25 Amazon Gift Card
2) The Alibi eBook copy
3) Signed Print of Amelia Marsh by Sharon Goldman

Contest runs from January 8 - 14, 2018.

In partnership with

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

From award-winning author Marilyn Baron

THE ALIBI

Marilyn Baron

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Women's Fiction, Crime Fiction, Cozy Mystery
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Publication Date: September 13, 2017

In Marilyn Baron's The Alibi, a cover-up could cost heroine Merritt Saxe her life.

Merritt Saxe, newly hired public relations specialist with the Florida prison system, answers an urgent plea from their division’s director, Willard Ware Baintree. Following his orders, she finds him in the apartment of his mistress, his bloody T-shirt and the mistress’s dead body convincing her the criminal justice superstar is himself a criminal. The director claims he didn’t kill the woman and coerces Merritt into being his alibi.

Meanwhile, as the director pulls her farther into his web of lies, Merritt breaks with her longstanding boyfriend and begins a steamy relationship with hunky attorney Israel Goodspeed, whose brother works for the director. Yet how can she trust Israel with her secret or her heart when she suspects the director has been orchestrating their relationship to keep her in line? Speaking out about the cover-up could cost her more than time in jail…it could cost her life.

Purchase Links

Follow the upcoming book tour from September 25 - October 7, 2017.

Watch out for exclusive excerpts, book reviews, interviews, and more.
To check the latest tour schedule, visit the The Alibi Book Page at Book Unleashed.

WIN $25 GIFT CARD AND MORE!

$25 Amazon Gift Card

eBook copy of Stumble Stones

Stilt House print by Florida artist Sharon Goldman*
* "Stilt House," a signed, matted decorative print by Florida artist Sharon Goldman. Stilt House is on St. George Island off the Florida  Panhandle, where The Alibi is set. The location is representative of where the hero and heroine go for their weekend beach getaway.

Contest runs from September 13 - October 7, 2017.

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from humorous coming-of-middle age women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. She’s published 13 novels with The Wild Rose Press, five short stories with TWB Press and self-published three books. AmazonEncore republished her book Sixth Sense on September 15, 2015. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is a Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) Maggie Award winner. She is the Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Stumble Stones: A Novel in the Romance Category. She’s a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and GRW and winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm. She serves on the 2017-18 Roswell Reads Steering Committee. She was selected as a featured author in the 2016 Atlanta Authors Series. She presented on a panel at the 2017 AJC-Decatur Book Festival (the largest independent book festival in the country) on September 3, 2017. Read more about Marilyn at http://www.marilynbaron.com.

Official website: http://www.marilynbaron.com

To receive regular updates from the author, join Marilyn Baron's newsletter.

Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

In partnership with

NEW BOOK RELEASE

From Award Winning Author
Margaret Ann Spence

Can a father's hidden life threaten a daughter's chance at love?

LIPSTICK ON THE STRAWBERRY

Margaret Ann Spence

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: July 5, 2017

Estranged from her English family, Camilla Fetherwell now lives in the United States and owns a successful catering business. Returning home for her father's funeral, she reunites with her first love, Billy, whom she hasn't seen since her father broke up their teenage romance. Billy seems eager to resume their love affair. But after one blissful night together, things take a turn.

Camilla suspects her father may have led a secret life, and when Billy reveals something he, too, has discovered, her apprehension grows. Billy holds her heart, but their relationship might be tainted by what her father hid. A reunion seems impossible.

Her life feels as splattered as her catering apron. As she watches her food stylist make a strawberry look luscious with a swipe of lipstick, Camilla wonders if a gloss has been put over a family secret? Can she and Billy survive what's underneath?

Lipstick on the Strawberry won FIRST PLACE, Romantic Elements Category in the 2015 Beacon Contest sponsored by First Coast Romance Writers.

Purchase Links

Take an inside look at Lipstick on the Strawberry with this intriguing excerpt from the book.

WIN $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD

Contest runs from July 6 - 12, 2017.

Margaret Ann Spence was born in Australia and has made the United States home for many years. In Lipstick on the Strawberry she takes as backdrops Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, England, cities she's lived in and loved. ` Lipstick on the Strawberry won First Place, Romantic Elements Category, in the 2015 Beacon Contest, sponsored by the First Coast Romance Writers.

Official website: http://margaretannspence.com

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads Author Page

For more information, visit the Lipstick on the Strawberry Book Page at Book Unleashed.

In partnership with

While searching for Mr. Right,
Sarah found something completely different.

SEARCHING FOR SARAH

Julieann Dove

Series: The Sarah Series # 1
Genre: Women's Fiction
Publication Date: April 27, 2017

Sarah Keller is convinced that her Mr. Right is stuck in traffic…in another country…on another planet. ‘Thirty-one and still single’ isn’t how she wants to be introduced by her dad. That’s why she’s on five dating websites, posing as anything from an avid gardener to a crazed thrill seeker.

Sam Turner is a single dad, workaholic, who owns his own company. Long-term relationships have never worked out for him. That’s why he needs a nanny.

When a mutual friend suggests Sarah take the job temporarily, everything changes for them both. Sarah begins falling for the man who meets almost none of her online criteria. And when strange things start happening—things that jeopardize the safety of Sarah, Sam is the last person she would imagine is hiding something.

Purchase Links

WIN $10 AMAZON GIFT CARD

Contest runs from May 8 - 12, 2017.

Julieann Dove began her writing career not long ago. Taking a break from her job as a bookkeeper was just what the doctor ordered, to tap into her creative side. When she’s not writing, she loves playing with fabric at her sewing machine, baking new recipes, and playing in the dirt, trying to get things to grow. Julieann loves old movies, and never tires of listening to music—it’s where she finds most of her inspiration for her books.

Official website: http://julieanndove.com

Social media: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

In partnership with

I always have a soft heart for sweet romance stories, and this one got me hooked from the very beginning. Great job by the author. It is a short story, but the chemistry between the two main characters - Sarah and Mike - was evident throughout the story. I just wished the author could have kept the story going and showed us how different their relationship truly is now compared to 7 years past -- i.e. interaction with Mike's parents.

One part I didn't fully understand is on the painting Sarah brought to the hospital, that drew profound reactions from both the hospital staff and the little girl. Was it a miracle, and did it have any significance on Sarah's character?

In any case, if you're looking for a well written, sweet romance story, get this one. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 4 Stars

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction

Links: Amazon, Reading Alley

After seven years since the break-up, Sarah Chambers knew it was time to try setting thoughts of Mike Rivers aside. It didn’t matter that she loved him; because of his parents, they could never be happy together. Determined to take a step forward in life, she arranged to meet an online friend at a club – but ran into Mike instead.

Fleeing into the darkness, Sarah couldn’t outrun the memories which chased her – of falling in love, of falling apart. Desperate to find refuge from the gathering emotional storm, Sarah heads to the only sanctuary she knows.

Hours later, when Mike arrives at her door unexpectedly claiming he wants to talk, he reveals a devastating secret. Will it bring the ultimate showdown between them or will Sarah be able to look inside herself and, finally, forgive?

This is a different genre from Miss Moonbridge's previous work, All That The Heart Desires. It involves more suspense and action but less romance.  To this, I see the potential of the author to write more of this type of books.  The excitement is certainly there, and the suspense builds up quite well.

The story revolves around Veronica Blake, narrated from a first person perspective.  A vacation to Egypt took an unexpected turn when she finds herself kidnapped by people completely unknown to her.  Things become even more bizarre when she was rescued, only to be kept isolated, albeit treated nicely, for weeks in the middle of nowhere. One revelation after another ensued as the story speeds toward a climactic ending.

The pace of the story was just right with some intense moments.  As earlier stated, the suspense and excitement factor made this an entertaining read. I find the author did a very good job in building the plot, slowly peeling away bits and pieces of the mystery to ensure the reader is hooked to the very end.  The author also made the story very believable with intricate description on the places where the story had occurred.

My main reservation is generally on character and character development.  While the author did portray Veronica to be a strong and rebellious character, sometimes I felt her stubborn nature to resist anyone who opposes her thoughts may be a bit overdone. Perhaps given her predicament at that time, some sense of panic is understandable.  I also felt her relationship with Nicholas was not developed properly and her love for him could not be easily related to by readers. It seems even less developed than her conflicts with Dona Yolanda Marie.

All in all, this book is easy to read and follow, has a solid plot and conflict, and the entertainment value is definitely there.  I would rate this 3.5 stars.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction

Links: Amazon

A vacation on the shores of the Egyptian Red Sea was Veronica Blake’s long lasting dream.

But dreams turn into nightmares. Controlling boyfriend Peter complains and embarrasses her frequently in front of everybody from the start. A trip to the ancient sites turns into a disaster. But the salvation comes in the form of the mysterious Nicholas, a blue-eyed man she remembers from the hotel.

Deep in the Sahara desert Veronica encounters a totally different way of life. She desperately seeks the truth about everything that happened. Alone and afraid of her new written future she finds consolation with Nicholas, the only man she’s left to trust.

Will she ever accept the truth she seeks, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Will she be able to find a way back to the life she was forced to leave behind?