Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Carrie Morgan and THE ROAD BACK FROM BROKEN

Aloha!  I am away from home this week with limited internet access. I hope you enjoy the book spotlights in my absence ...

For Fitz, having survived means being haunted by the very memories he wants to forget...

Four months after surviving an IED blast in Afghanistan, Army sergeant Jacob Fitzgerald has recovered from his physical injuries but his invisible wounds continue to fester.

Devastated by the loss of his friend Peterson, a gifted medic who was killed in the IED attack, Fitz turns to alcohol to dull his pain. But his solace proves short-lived when a DUI crash leaves Fitz one screw-up away from a court martial and he comes home to find his wife Jenn packing her bags.

Desperate to save his marriage and his Army career, Fitz is befriended by Remy, a young Army chaplain haunted by demons of his own. Fitz leans on Remy for support when sobriety proves a mixed blessing, bringing the clarity of mind needed to reconnect with his family while unleashing a flood of vivid, searing flashbacks.

As the haunting memories of the IED attack and his fallen comrade send Fitz into a spiral of anguish, he must choose between numbing the pain and losing both his family and his career, or coming to terms with his role in the death of his friend.

A lawyer by training but a storyteller at heart, Carrie Morgan grew up in Littleton, Colorado but now lives in Florida with her husband, a U.S. Army infantry veteran. Carrie is a lifelong student of history and her stories of family drama and personal struggle reflect her belief that the events of the past have long half-lives measured in generations.

I am currently reading THE ROAD BACK FROM BROKEN - stay tuned for my review.  I am giving away military swag plus a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you have any veterans in your family?  

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

NY National Guard on duty for
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
(outside a book store, no less)

Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Diana Cosby and AN OATH SWORN (The Oath Trilogy)

Diana Cosby is celebrating the release of OATH SWORN, Book 3 in the Oath Trilogy:

Bound by honor to save a country they love…

The bastard daughter of the French king, Marie Alesia Serouge has just one chance at freedom when she escapes her captor in the Scottish highlands. A mere pawn in a scheme to destroy relations between France and Scotland, Marie must reach her father and reveal the Englishmen’s treacherous plot. But she can’t abandon the wounded warrior she stumbles upon—and she can’t deny that his fierce masculinity, Scottish or not, stirs something wild inside her.

Colyne MacKerran is on a mission for his king, and he’s well aware that spies are lying in wait for him everywhere. Wounded en route, he escapes his attackers and is aided by an alluring Frenchwoman…whose explanation for her presence in the Highlands rings false. Even if she saved his life, he cannot trust her with his secrets. But he won’t leave her to the mercy of brigands, either—and as they race for the coast, he can’t help but wonder if her kiss is as passionate as she is.

With nothing in common but their honor, Colyne and Marie face a dangerous journey to safety through the untamed Scottish landscape—and their own reckless hearts…

A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series are translated in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. With the release of her 1st book in her new Scottish medieval The Oath Trilogy, An Oath Taken, which hit bestseller lists in Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as the release of the e Box Set of the MacGruder Brothers series, she’s now preparing for the last two books in The Oath trilogy, An Oath Broken – 22 June, and, An Oath Sworn – 23 December, 2015!

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

I am giving away Scottish swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment how many moves you have made .... Diana has made 34 in the military!  

2.  Comments are open though Saturday, December 26, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 27.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books in the series ...

Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Anne Elizabeth and A SEAL FOREVER

I am currently reading and loving Anne Elizabeth's A SEAL FOREVER, Book 3 of the West Coast Navy SEALs ...

Even a hero needs someone to believe in him...

Parkour instructor Maura Maxwell has always denied her attraction for her bachelor neighbor because she’s seen his revolving door of women and doesn’t want to become another notch on his belt. But the man who rescues her from a sudden storm isn’t the one she thinks she knows—he’s Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five, and he literally sweeps Maura off her feet.

Just as his teasing and tenderness start to work their way into Maura’s heart, Declan and his team are called in for a dangerous op in the Middle East. The man who returns is facing the toughest fight of his life, and he needs Maura by his side more than ever…

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple
Books a Million
Indie Bound

New York Times bestselling author Anne Elizabeth is an award-winning romance author and comic creator. With a BS in business and MS in communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at conventions as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of America. Anne lives with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL, in the mountains above San Diego.

anneelizabeth.net
facebook.com/aeauthorfanpage
twitter.com/aeanneelizabeth
Goodreads

A Navy SEALs Fun Fact from Anne Elizabeth

Being a Navy SEAL wife, or a wife in general, is not always easy. As the saying goes, “The Only EASY DAY was Yesterday.” But, love and determination matter. Whatever you dedicate yourself to every day, will grow stronger.

A heartfelt tribute to Navy SEAL Adam Brown
on Pearl Harbor's Dog Beach

Sourcebooks is hosting a special giveaway at this link ... and offers an excerpt from A SEAL FOREVER:

Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five rolled over the side of the Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat and slid soundlessly into the Pacific Ocean. The RIB took off without even a comment from the operator, leaving Declan to sink farther into the drink.

The temperature cooled as he swam away from the surface. Fish skirted the edges of his thighs, small shimmers of movement against his skin. He scissor-kicked his way forward. The ocean currents caught him, dragging him in the direction they wanted to go, toward shore. He lay with his arms at his sides, frog-kicking only. Above him, he could see the afternoon sunlight glistening and frothy foam chasing away the glassy surface. Down here things were different…calmer. Peaceful, in a way few souls would understand, and yet he knew that even he would have to surface soon.

His lungs would start to ache and burn, his gut would begin to feel as if it would cave in, and that would force him to either head topside or drink in the salt water. But there was still time. This was the water in front of Imperial Beach and the apartment he lived in. He knew it very well.

Scanning the ocean floor, he gauged it would be about thirty seconds until he reached one of the many rocky sandbars out here. He’d have to pull up before then, or the force of the current would smack him against the side.

As his body began to complain, he used both arms and legs to draw himself upward. Breaking the surface, he opened his mouth and drew in air like a thirsty man would gulp water.

The waves bounced him like a buoy. The tide was coming in and the wind was picking up momentum. Looking at the sky to the east, he could see that there would most likely be a storm today. Over his should, to the west, he spied a wave coming his way large enough to take him to shore. It would reach him in about thirty seconds.

Dec took a long, slow breath and appreciated the sun dropping into the horizon. The colors were extraordinary; orange and gold dappled the horizon as the blazing ball of light attempted to sink before the moon lifted higher in the sky.

His hands flexed, cupping the water. It had been a hot day, and the sun’s rays had heated the top of the ocean, making the surface feel like a warm bath, loosening his muscles. Three months ago, he’d been in waters so frigid, with actual ice caps—the memory still made him cold. But here, the Pacific Ocean off California’s Imperial Beach, was a slice of heaven.

Coming in from the east were some nasty-looking cumulonimbus clouds. Seeing the lightning arc way off toward the distant desert, he decided it was time to go in, and right on cue, here came a perfect wave.

Swimming at top speed, Declan pushed his way through another changing current, one that sought to drag him into faster-moving waters. He went over a higher sandbar, having no intention of going to Mexico today, and increased the reach of his stroke. With single-mindedness he worked his way into the more placid surf as he homed in on a large stretch of beach.

The SEAL felt a few sea lions swimming around him, and one nosed him in the gut and another in his back a few times, assessing whether or not he’d play. Not this time, my friends. He continued swimming without engaging. If he stopped to play, he’d be out there for hours.

Switching to the breaststroke, his arms protested. His platoon had switched their training this month to desert-warfare techniques, and he’d been sweating his balls off in the heat. He managed to learn a thing or two, even now, after all of his years in the Teams. But it felt good to be back in the ocean, his element. He’d live in the deep blue like a Jules Verne character if he could.

More books in the series ...

Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Lindsay McKenna and TANGLED PURSUIT

It is my pleasure to spotlight TANGLED PURSUIT from Navy veteran turned romance author Lindsay McKenna .... just in time for the Marine Corps' birthday and Veterans Day:

Navy SEAL Chief Wyatt Lockwood is fascinated by Marine sniper Captain Talia Culver. But she wants nothing to do with him after learning of his reputation as a heartbreaker. The cocky Texan refuses to take the hint and keeps placing himself in Tal’s path. When she agrees to help him tend to needy families in an Afghan village, she learns there’s more to this SEAL than meets the eye. But is she strong enough to risk having her heart broken again?

Wyatt can’t stay away from the beautiful, surly Marine. Tal is fascinating—and frustrating—and he is determined to crack through her tough exterior and get to know the soft woman he knows lurks beneath the surface. When he joins Tal on a sniper mission in the Afghan mountains, their bond continues to grow. But the mission takes a dangerous turn. Has he lost his chance with Tal forever?

TANGLED PURSUIT is Book 2 in the Delos series.

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Lindsay McKenna lives her life as a risk taker, and it shines through the books she loves to write: romance, adventure and suspense. She started writing at age thirteen and continues to hone her writing skills to this day. She sold her first romance novel in 1981. The rest is history.

Because she went into the military, this experience became the backbone of her writing—she is credited with writing the first military romance novel (Captive of Fate, 1983, Silhouette Special Edition) and has created a thriving sub-genre within the romance field! As a New York Times Best Selling author, she has sold 23 million books and in 32 foreign languages in her career thus far. Her many experiences in the U.S. Navy are backdrop for her understanding of the military in general, and also her very successful Morgan’s Mercenaries, which is an ongoing series in Silhouette to this day! Forty-five books strong!

Lindsay has gone Indie in 2015 and has created a new family saga on par with Morgan’s Mercenaries It is known as the DELOS SERIES. There will be paperback and eBooks created under Blue Turtle Publishing, her company for her fans. Readers who love Morgan and his family are bound to fall in love with the Culver family. Delos is romantic suspense, which Lindsay is well known for. It took her five years to create and bring DELOS to her readers. It was worth the wait, but we’ll let you decide that.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Lindsay offers an exclusive excerpt from TANGLED PURSUIT:

Chief Wyatt Lockwood kept his gaze averted but was still able to find Captain Talia Culver, U.S. Marine Corps, who stood restively in the Bagram chow line. She was with her brother, Matt, and her sister, Alexa. He knew Matt well because they’d worked together on a number of black ops missions over the years. Alexa was an unknown simply because she was an Air Force combat pilot and he was a ground-pounder.

As he hungrily scooped up his second helping of six eggs, along with a tray piled high with bacon and toast, he smiled to himself. His “animals,” the other SEALs in his platoon, had their heads down, concentrating on wolfing down as much protein their empty stomachs could hold.

But he had other fish to fry. Namely, Tal. Damn, she was an Amazon-warrior knockout. Of course, he’d never tell her that. She’d get royally pissed off, turn on her heel, and leave him in a huff without another word. She was like that, quick to give him an icy glare. She didn’t have the time of day for him, which her body language had told him again and again—for three years, in fact.

He watched Tal and her sister, noting that Tal was taller than most women, although Alexa was only two inches shorter than her. Tal had a lean body that he found himself fantasizing about on far too many nights. Despite her height, she couldn’t have hidden her femininity if she tried.

Granted, out here in the badlands, women didn’t wear makeup or perfume—especially a sniper like Tal. The scent would carry on the wind, straight to the Taliban. They’d follow it and discover her hiding place. He couldn’t even think about what might happen after that.

Turning to his breakfast, he shoveled more eggs into his mouth, delighting in the line of sight he had on the woman he wanted in his bed—one way or another.

Wyatt had always danced away from serious, long-term relationships. Hell, he’d seen too many SEAL marriages fail horribly. A 90 percent divorce rate didn’t offer him the odds he’d need to even consider the idea, which was why he kept his hookups light and short-term.

He often told himself that he was doing women a favor by walking away in the morning. To lead a woman on by making her think there was hope for a serious relationship would be a dark falsehood. SEALs who were in love, he thought, had to lie to themselves about their odds of keeping a marriage together, given their brutal rotation cycle and the fact that they were often away from home for six months or more at a time. He wouldn’t put himself or a woman he wanted to love through that kind of minefield. Wyatt was always upfront with a woman who interested him—that it was for a night of sex, and that was it. If she agreed, they both walked away satisfied and happy the next morning.

Didn’t the woman ever get horny? Hungry for sex? God knew he did! But then, she was a woman, and her hormones were different from a man’s, although he did know plenty of women who liked having sex. Too bad Tal wasn’t more like them.

Wyatt had once heard Matt hint that there were two main reasons Tal wasn’t interested in him. First, he was enlisted and she was an officer. The UCMJ rules were very clear that it was taboo for men and women in those categories to get together. Of course, Wyatt never worried about that. SEALs had a hell of a reputation for breaking rules in the military and living to tell about it.

In fact, he knew plenty of officers and enlisted here on this base who would eagerly fraternize with one another. The key, of course, was keeping it hidden from a superior officer or individuals who might want to make trouble for the couple. If an officer was caught fraternizing with an enlisted, his or her career could go to hell pretty damn fast.

Maybe he could convince Tal Culver that he’d personally guarantee that no one on this base would ever find them out. He’d say whatever he had to in order to get her into bed. Then again, he’d have to get her to talk to him first, so the chances were slim to none that he’d have to bother with guarantees!

The other reason Matt had given him was cause for serious concern. He’d told Wyatt that Tal had lost the man she loved, a Marine sniper, six years ago. The couple had been deeply in love, Matt confided.

Wyatt had wanted to continue their conversation and was frustrated that he’d have to wait to learn more—if Matt was in the mood then to continue his confidences. Maybe she was still grieving. Wyatt had never been in love, so he didn’t understand someone having to work through years of grief.

The strangest thing was, he had a feeling—call it intuition—that deep down, Tal actually respected him. That was the thing about being a SEAL, working for years under life-and-death conditions. A SEAL’s intuition was so developed, it often flew off the charts. He’d seen intuition save a man’s life, and Wyatt’s psychic ability was damn near in the paranormal range. His platoon knew about his gift and always deferred to him on a DA when he told them to stop, that there was a Taliban ambush ahead of them. And he was never wrong.

He watched Tal lead the way from the chow line to the opposite end of the hall from where he and his team sat, and smiled. Yeah, she knew exactly where he was sitting and was going to avoid him big-time. Pushing the emptied tray away from him, he picked up his mug of coffee and finished it off. God, how he’d missed good, strong espresso. Six months without a sip of it had been starting to stress him out.

Tal move between the tables. His body responded as he silently observed her. She had one of the nicest-shaped asses he’d ever seen on a woman. He could tell by the way she walked, the way her loose-fitting Marine outfit flowed over her hips, that she would be exciting to explore. His hands itched. Damn. He had it bad for his ice queen.

Other books in the Delos series ...

Wednesday's Warriors - Authors connected to the Military

As the RT Booklovers' Convention draw near, I meet more authors connected to the military.  It is time to keep a running list ... and we'll start with those supporting the 12th Annual Military Tribute at the convention:

Heather Ashby - Navy vet, Navy spouse, and Army mom

Kara Braden - Air Force spouse

Diana Cosby - Navy vet and military mom

Chanel Cleeton - Air Force spouse

Emmy Curtis - military spouse

Anne Elizabeth - Navy spouse

Gail Hart - Air Force vet

Lorraine Heath - Air Force brat

Elle James - Air Force brat, Air Force vet, and Army vet

Elizabeth Langston - Air Force vet

Kennedy Layne - Marine Corps spouse

Siera London - Navy vet

Merline Lovelace - Air Force brat, Air Force vet, and Air Force spouse

Donna Michaels - Army National Guard spouse

Crista McHugh - Air Force vet

Lindsay McKenna - Navy vet 

Ella Quinn - Army vet

Jamie Rae - Air Force vet and Air Force spouse

Susan Stoker - Army spouse

Paige Tyler - military spouse

Susan Ann Wall - Army spouse

Rececca Yarros - military spouse

I know there are more authors connected to the military ... so let's add 'em to the list.  I will update this list every month with names submitted in the comments or by email to sos.aloha@yahoo.com.

One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about:

- an author connected to the military 

- a favorite book from one of the above author

- a favorite military themed book

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Air Force vet and Air Force spouse