Coming in 2011 from Bethany House ~ Suspense & Speculative Fiction

I read and enjoy all genres, though you would be pushing me with Sci-Fi, but my first reading love is suspense. Bethany releases them sparingly but their writers are top-notch!

I'm really looking forward to all these books and the covers are excellent, especially Robin's and Mark's. And Shawn's is fairly easy on the eyes, too ;-)

Your thoughts?

Vigilante by Robin Parrish

Nolan Gray is an elite soldier, skilled in all forms of combat. After years fighting on foreign battlefields, witnessing unspeakable evils and atrocities firsthand, a world-weary Nolan returns home to find it just as corrupt as the war zones. Everywhere he looks, there's pain and cruelty. Society is being destroyed by wicked men who don't care who they make suffer or destroy.

Nolan decides to do what no one else can, what no one has ever attempted. He will defend the helpless. He will tear down the wicked. He will wage a one-man war on the heart of man, and he won't stop until the world is the way it should be.

The wicked have had their day. Morality's time has come. In a culture starving for a hero, can one extraordinary man make things right?

July 2011

Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Rose Red trusts no one with her secret. She hides in the mountains, her face completely veiled, shunning the company of all save her old father and her nanny goat. Her life is bleak and lonely.

Until she meets a young man with a secret royal heritage. Lionheart seeks to bring Rose Red to his palace to watch out for her. When the Dragon King arrives, claiming Rose Red as his own, she chooses to flee to the royal palace while Lionheart is exiled on a quest to find a way to defeat the monster.

Infuriated by Rose Red's rebellion, the Dragon King imprisons the royal family, wooing her into this thrall while pulling the household into a dangerous twilight world. Rose Red must be willing to sacrifice everything she loves most and Lionheart must return in time to free his kingdom. Their choices will affect not only the course of their own lives but also the fate of nations.

July 2011

Pattern of Wounds by J Mark Bertrand

For Detective Roland March, his latest case has become personal. March doesn't know the young female who was stabbed to death, but he thinks he recognizes the crime scene. Nearly ten years ago, March gained national fame as the subject of a true-crime book. But now this crime scene bears eerie similarities to that one. And whispers begin to emerge that March may have put the wrong man behind bars.

Worse, Houston may now have a serial killer on the loose. As more cases emerge that seem connected, and threats against March and those closest to him build, he must solve the case--rescuing not only the city but his own reputation as a homicide cop.

July 2011

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn

Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq--kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight--a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation.

Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy--from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?

July 2011

Falls Like Lightning by Shawn Grady

When hotshot smoke jumper Silas Kent gets his own fire crew, he thinks he's achieved what he's always wanted. But a lightning-sparked fire in the Desolation Wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas has his team in a plane before they can even train together.

Pilot Elle Westmore has been called up to drop the crew into the heart of the forest infernos. A single mother of a mysteriously ill six-year-old, she can't imagine her life getting any more complicated.

It doesn't take long for things to go very wrong, very quickly. A suspicious engine explosion forces Elle to make an emergency landing. Silas is able to parachute to safety but soon discovers his crew can't be trusted. They're hiding something, and now Silas is on a race to save himself and Elle from the flames--and from a more dangerous threat: his own team.

July 2011

Coming in June/July 2010 from Bethany House

Historical v. Contemporary, Romance v. Suspense ~ what's your preference?

Check out these 2010 releases from Bethany and let me know whether you are an historical fan or contemporary or both!

For me, I enjoy both but contemporary suspense is probably more my thing! Love Robin's cover for Nightmare!

A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Dowryless and desperate, Tressa Neill applies to the inaugural class of Wyatt Herdsman School in Barnett, Kansas, in 1888. The school's one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher--or the wife of one. Shy and small for her twenty-two years, Tressa is convinced she'll never have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt's hands-on instruction in skills such as milking a cow, branding a calf, riding a horse, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands. But what other options does she have?

Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the group of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once--and he got his heart broken. But there's something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice. When Tressa's life is endangered, will Abel risk his own life--and his heart--to help this eastern girl?

Releasing June, 2010

Maid to Match by Deanne Gist

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled--by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman.

When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in the ways of refined society, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs...and their hearts.

Releasing June, 2010

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with Coventry, Texas's new dressmaker. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothing, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.

Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?

When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to uproarious consequences for the whole town--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

Releasing June, 2010

Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady

Jonathan Trestle is a paramedic who's spent the week a few steps behind the angel of death. When he responds to a call about a man sprawled on a downtown sidewalk, Trestle isn't about to lose another victim. CPR revives the man long enough for him to hand Trestle a crumpled piece of paper and say, "Give this to Martin," before being taken to the hospital.

The note is a series of dashes and haphazard scribbles. Trestle tries to follow up with the patient later, but at the ICU he learns the man awoke, pulled out his IVs, and vanished, leaving only a single key behind. Jonathan tracks the key to a nearby motel where he finds the man again--this time not just dead but murdered. Unwilling to just let it drop, Jonathan is plunged into a mystery that soon threatens not only his dreams for the future but maybe even his life.

Releasing July, 2010

Nightmare by Robin Parrish

Ghost Town is the hottest amusement park in the country, offering state-of-the-art chills and thrills involving the paranormal. The park's main ride is a haunted mansion that promises an encounter with a real ghost.

When Maia Peters visits during her senior year of college, she's not expecting to be impressed. Maia grew up as the only child of a pair of world-renowned "ghost hunters," so the paranormal is nothing new. In fact, the ride feels pretty boring until the very end. There, a face appears from the mist. The face of Jordin Cole, a girl who disappeared from campus a year ago.
Convinced what she saw wasn't a hoax and desperate to find answers to Jordin's disappearance, Maia launches into a quest for answers. Joined by Jordin's boyfriend--a pastor--s kid with very different ideas about the spirit realm--Maia finds herself in a struggle against forces she never expected to confront.

Releasing July, 2010



Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand

Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.

With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.

Releasing, July, 2010

Getting to know Shawn Grady

Shawn Grady has made a name for himself as a firefighter, paramedic and more recently, author! His debut novel Through the Fire has received rave reviews and is well worth a look.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Shawn and make sure you check out his book next time you are in the mood for a fast paced read.

Thanks Shawn:~

If you could have chosen your own name, what would it be?

Sean ;)

Your first pet’s name?

Cinder, because she looked like she’d just rolled around in a fireplace.

If you were stranded on a desert island what one object would you want with you? (Besides your Bible)

A satellite phone.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

An astronaut or a tillerman. Though I’ve always wanted to be a garbageman for a day.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Ireland. Then Venice. Then… okay, I’ll stop there.

Favourite book?

Peace Like a River, A Moveable Feast, Ender’s Game

Favourite movie?

Growing up it was Return of the Jedi. Now, I’m not so sure.

Heroes, Bones, Lost or Emergency?

Ha. Lol. Hard to compete with Roy and Johnny and Squad 51.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Indiana Jones or Jason Bourne?

Was Indiana Jones for Halloween in third grade. He’s probably the least troubled in the head out of the three J

Baseball, basketball or gridiron? (I’d put cricket in there but don’t like my chances!)

First of all, I had to look up gridiron. Is that what they call American football Down Under? Baseball is my favorite.

Rel:~ Yep, Aussies call American football gridiron as everyone knows the true definition of football is Australian Rules Footy ;-)

Where's the most interesting place you have been?

Remember, you’re talking to a paramedic. You don’t want to know where I’ve been.

Great Barrier Reef, Uluru (Ayers Rock) or Sydney Harbour Bridge?

Great Barrier Reef

A favourite Bible verse and what does it mean to you?

Psalm 32:8 I will teach you and instruct you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you.

Through the Fire

From firefighter to paramedic to author ~ how was that transition?

They’re two very different professional fields, but the experiences and people I’ve encountered in emergency service have provided great fodder for writing.

Do you find it difficult putting your real life experiences with fire and trauma into words?

I do use a mosaic of experiences to create many portions of the scenes in my books, and have found it to be a cathartic experience. –Like some things are just waiting to be brought out on the page.

Describe each of your main characters with one word

Aidan O’Neill - fiery

Julianne Caldwell - pure

Benjamin Sower - mentor

What do you hope readers take away from your story?

That faith is the key to walking in peace with Christ.

What‘s in your writing pipeline? A sneak peek, please!

Tomorrow We Die - About a Reno paramedic who feels like he’s chasing the Angel of Death. It’s set for a summer 2010 release.

Thanks Shawn for taking the time to spend time at Relz Reviewz. I'm looking forward to Tomorrow We Die - the cover is great (as I'm sure its contents are as well!)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Through the Fire

Character spotlight on Aidan O'Neill

Visit Shawn's website and forum

Buy Shawn's books at Amazon or Koorong

Through the Fire by Shawn Grady and open giveaway

Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood, but his innate gift for reading flames has made him overconfident and sometimes puts lives in danger. When one call goes horribly wrong and a rookie is hurt, Aidan ends up suspended and finds himself questioning everything.

An arsonist is targeting Reno, leaving a scorched path of destruction. The department needs Aidan back, but his return is troubled. The gift he relied on for so long has gone silent and it's as though the fires are coming for him, hunting him down. Teaming with a beguiling fire investigator who may know more than she's saying, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the flames burn ever closer.

My take:~

Shawn Grady's debut novel oozes authenticity as firefighter Aidan O'Neill fights demons within and without, no doubt as the author has done in his own career as a firefighter and paramedic. Shawn brings his firsthand experience to life with vivid descriptions, non stop action and human angst, creating an enthralling story layered with mystery and faith. Some of the writing is choppy in parts, yet it strangely fits with a firefighter's unpredictable and ever changing day and while I would have enjoyed a longer story, Shawn's first offering is great sign of things to come from this exciting new author.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Aidan O'Neill

Visit Shawn's website and forum

Buy Shawn's book at Amazon or Koorong

Open Giveaway

Thanks to Shawn's generosity, I'm thrilled to offer one of my readers the chance to win a signed and personalised copy of Through the Fire.

To enter, post a comment by Sunday 26th July, 2009 telling me what you most admire about the men and women in your fire departments ~ let's encourage them!

Character Spotlight ~ Shawn Grady's Aidan O'Neill

Today the spotlight shines on......................... Aidan O'Neill

Shawn Grady's debut novel, Through the Fire, hits stores on Wednesday 1st July, with author James Scott Bell saying, "A sizzling debut novel from a writer who really has the goods. Shawn Grady is an author to watch."

I am so looking forward to reading this novel and telling you my thoughts. For now, Shawn gives us an inside look into firefighter, Aidan O'Neill.

Over to you, Shawn:~

Brief physical description:

Aidan looks like the fireman on the cover. Paul Higdon at Bethany House really nailed it on the design.

Julianne Caldwell is my female lead. She's a savvy fire prevention analyst who gets thrust into the position of acting fire investigator. She knows Aidan from a past encounter, but he doesn't immediately recognize her.

Strengths:

Aidan is passionate, driven, and excellent at what he does. He also possesses an inherent gift for sensing what fire is doing.

Weaknesses:

Aidan’s reliance on his gift has made him overconfident in the face of the fire. When his gift goes silent, he finds himself searching for where his trust really rests. Aidan has issues with authority that are tied to his anger toward God.

Quirk:

Aidan loves his silver ’83 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Inspiration for the character:

Writing in first person, I approached Aidan like a method actor would a role, and worked to infuse him with genuine traits and thoughts. Many of the characters in the story that are seen through Aidan’s eyes were inspired by people I’ve had the honor to work with, though no one person is meant to be represented by any individual character.

Background to the story:

I felt a pressing need to express something of the experiences and feelings I’ve had working for the fire department, particularly at Station One in downtown Reno. The people, the energy, the lack of sleep, the fires, the medicals, the three-story poles and the cast-iron cookware that’s been seasoned for decades… I wanted to relate the sights and sounds and smells and the sensations of it all. I wanted to make it feel real for the reader and take them there so they could know it.

In that context, I was compelled in Through the Fire to tell a story of loss and redemption, of death and life, and to resonate a bit of the greatest story ever told.

Appreciate you providing this insight, Shawn! Wishing you the very best with the release of your book ~ may this be the first of many :)



On Thursday, I will be spotlighting another debut author's characters, Deborah Vogt's Mattie Evans & Gil McCray ~ don't forget to come by!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Shawn's website and forum
Buy Shawn's book at Amazon or Koorong
Come back soon for an exclusive interview with Shawn

Book trailer for Shawn Grady's Through the Fire

Debut author Shawn Grady has the smarts and the know how to write this story, having been a firefighter and paramedic for over ten years. When a person has lived the experiences they write about, it gives their book that something extra.

I can't wait for Through the Fire's July release from Bethany.


Even Smoke Runs From the Fire

Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood, but his innate gift for reading flames has made him overconfident and sometimes puts lives in danger. When one call goes horribly wrong and a rookie is hurt, Aidan ends up suspended and finds himself questioning everything.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time.

An arsonist is targeting Reno, leaving a scorched path of destruction. The department needs Aidan back, but his return is troubled. The gift he relied on for so long has gone silent and it's as though the fires are coming for him, hunting him down. Teaming with a beguiling fire investigator who may know more than she's saying, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the flames burn ever closer.

An Explosive Blend of Action, Romance, and Danger from a Writer Who's Faced the Flames