Friday, April 29, 2016

Deadly Alliance review from Rana Ibrahim in Lebonon!

Thank you, Goodreads Reviewer Rana Ibrahim. Can you blame me for doing the happy dance? Rana's review, copied and pasted below, for Deadly Alliance:




Amy had stood beside her ex-boyfriend in his sickness, after his death Finn employed Amy and he had a previously bad experience as a child which left its mark upon him, so he wanted a woman in his bed, but not in his life was what he often said. As Amy started work with him, he tried to show power and authority but she was strong and put her own conditions. We notice a flick of interest between them.
i liked the good English language used in the novel, it had good beginnings and endings for each chapter.
I loved the combination of characters of the novel Amy the romantic, sensitive and strong-willed woman. I respect her for sacrificing a lot for her ex-boyfriend and the showing power in front of Finn and put her own conditions. Finn at the beginning he showed power and authoritative then he turned into a man full of emotions and love. Cassidy the materialistic, shallow and spiteful. Amy saw her ex-boyfriend on the funeral day, that makes us wonder is she imagining or was Lezsstill alive.
I loved its quotes:
It's a thing. It's replaceable. That's not true with people.
-

I loved the romanticism: We? how sweet. A small bubble of pride expanded inside her. She was with him.









Monday, April 18, 2016

Review from LiteraryMuseVC for Deadly Alliance


Literary Muse VC: Deadly Alliance by Kathleen Rowland-- heroine Amy takes a chance--
Amy Kintyre has a chance to design her own clothes, has an interview with someone to carry out her full presentation. She quits her taxi cab job and applies as a book keeper with ex-Army Ranger, Finbar Donahue. Amy is not hunting for a date these days with too much on her plate.  Finn tires her, the girlfriend of his late partner, thinking she knows about the theft going on in his company. After his partner was killed in a drive-by, money is missing on a monthly basis. Amy finds a file containing a fake bank account, and the case of the missing money turns into a nightmare. She witnesses a gang fight between and Irish mob and a terrorist fundraising organization.  Finn protects her, makes her mad, makes her cry, but has this panty-melting voice.  The local Irish mob is tangled up with a combination gang of ragtag Mexican hoods and terrorist recruits. 

Deadly Alliance is a crime thriller and serious hot-heavy romance novel.  Rowland’s plot is complex enough to keep the reader engaged and wondering how it will end.  At the same time, sparks fly between Finn and Amy.  Finn’s former skittishness around women takes a very gratifying transformation.  Amy knows her own mind and has no need for a dependent relationship, is a feisty character who may ramp up Finn’s testosterone but knows how to cool his fiery temper and Army Ranger force.  No one else can handle a former family betrayal, when his mother left. Very good read and highly recommended for romance and thriller fans!

Friday, April 15, 2016

Books are Love reviewed Deadly Alliance yesterday!

Review posted April 14th at Hello-Booklover@tumbler.com  THANK YOU!


  • Finn wasn’t what I expected. He was better. I didn’t think behind the tough exterior would be a teddy bear. he was kind, caring, honest and gentle. But dangerous as well. This was a man who protected fiercely but was loyal and loving as well. He thought of others and did what was right no matter how difficult. Unfortunately for him, his mom messed up his views of relationships and made him twitchy about them. Amy though changes this. As she shows him that woman don’t want to take over their world and change them but stand by them and have their own life as well. That you can love and support but also be separate and still succeed in love.


Finn begins the story frustrated. His company has a leak of money. It’s going somewhere and he can’t find it. He knows his old partner has something to do with this but not sure how and if he can prove it. This is where sweet kind adorable Amy comes in. She applies to work for Finn and at first is afraid to work for him. Why? Her ex. Her ex who she took care of after seriously injured until he passed away even though they weren’t together anymore. She feared he would judge her by that common factor her ex and his ex partner. he doesn’t but it still causes her worry. Especially after she reveals what she found in her condo that the ex left behind. This sets off a series of events. Dangerous but also sexy. Dangerous because now they know what is going on with the money and both are not safe. They are put into a terrible situation where the FBI are involved and it is up to Finn to protect them from being killed while they expose and reveal all that is going on and why. Watching her change his views as they find out everything behind her ex, his accident and the money is great. Finn goes through such a evolution. It isn’t just about bedding someone anymore. For him it is about someone becoming more. Someone he feels safe and secure with and she feels the same. Amy though is afraid to let herself because of his past and fear she will try to take over her world. Finn proves her wrong and shows he just wants to support and watch her shine while by her side.


Amy is a sweet sweet girl and watching her change Finn and his views is great. She is strong and strong willed. She stands on her own while being their for Finn and accepting his help as well. She shows him that women don’t destroy or want to hurt but stand by your side and be there when needed but cheer you on as well. She is honest as well. Such a refreshing character.


There are some revelations that just boggle the mind but they are revealed in a way that the surprise doesn’t have you reel back and feel betrayed. It’s more a wonderful way to take the story and show you a bigger picture. The story is action packed and the romance is sizzling. these two heat up the pages when intimate but when not the sizzle is there in many ways. They fit together and are each other’s yin and yang. the book keeps you in the moment and has you not wanting to put it down as these two just start off trying to find Finn’s company’s money and end up mired in danger and intrigue while exploring their feelings for each other and falling in love. 







Thursday, April 14, 2016

What a Romantic Suspense needs to be solid

I write romantic suspense which makes sense for me because if I watch TV, it's Homeland, Bosch, 11.22.63, Blacklist. My themes tend to be dark rather than light.  Deadly Alliance deals with the issue of terrorism, and I wrote it during the Paris attacks. You may remember the news at that time about a drug running cell which funded terrorists.  My heart bled for all victims before and after.  A dear friend of one of my sons jumped from the Twin Towers in 9/11. This topic is close to my heart.
Is bringing something new to the table with research or breaking news better than following trends relevant to your genre?  Within the genre of romantic suspense is action/adventure.   Here is what a solid romantic suspense needs:  DANGER.  Allow me to expand.  Suspense incorporates a sense of tension throughout the book with heart-pounding action, adrenaline-inducing chase, edge of your seat thrills, life-threatening situations, and dangerous criminals. These are common elements.  ROMANCE. There’s a central love story.  Our lovers have to traverse nail-biting adventures before they become acquainted with each other and fall in love. As an author I weave both romance and mystery. May I leave you with a word of caution?  No backstory! The biggest error is over-writing and manufacturing emotions.  Characters must react in the present, be honest and real. They react to their situation and to each other.  Their issues are background.  Life is messy. The thrill ride is dangerous, authentic, eye-widening, and passionate.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Steamy Side reviewed Deadly Alliance!

Review from Steamy Side (link is below):
Deadly Alliance is a solid Romantic Suspense novel.  I loved the way the author, Kathleen Rowland, managed to bring the characters and the action to life through her vivid storytelling.  I felt like everything leaped off the pages and felt so real.  A true testament to writing ability.
The characters were loveable.  I cared what happened to them.


 Find it here: 



Sunday, April 10, 2016

Deadly Alliance reviewed by Christine Teigen!

5 out of 5 stars   Her hero is my kind of guy-- swoon!
 on April 10, 2016
Kathleen Rowland's hero is MY kind of guy. He's a tough alpha but a really good guy, the kind that makes my heart dip, put butterflies in my stomach, make me furious. Most of all, put me in a love fog. I can relate to heroine, Amy Kintyre, the caregiver. The suspense part of the story meshes perfectly and is well researched. I don't want to give away the complications of two gangs-- one Irish from Long Beach and the other, a fundraising terrorist group who takes over Lake Arrowhead, CA. The two bad guys are great in Deadly Alliance. I hope there will be another book coming out like this one because I'm now an addict.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

How I write two books at a time, and you can, too!


Can you write two books at a time? A friend of mine told me how she does it.  She alternates.  One book one week, the other book the next week, she says.  Her method more than works.  While one book cooks in the unconscious, I dream of new ideas. Awesome how this happens, isn’t it?  My books are somewhat related.  The larger book (in the 45,000-word range, Unholy Alliance) is a sequel to Deadly Alliance.  The second is a novelette (8,000-words) and has connections with my Alliance series and also other novelettes in a place author friends and I made up—Moonlight Cove, California.

What about you? Can you multi-task more than one book? How do you do that? Do you write a bit to both books each day, or alternate, or…?

Friday, April 1, 2016

Meet the heroine, Amber Harris, in Pamela Thibodeaux's TEMPERED FIRE!

Today I am spotlighting Pamela Thibodeaux's Book 3 in her Tempered series, Tempered Fire.


Amber Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood.

Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber’s father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?


Would you like to get to know her characters, Amber Harris and Stanley Morrison? Read on!


1. Nickname: My full name is Arthur Stanley Morrison but my friends call me Stan / sometimes Stanley.


2. Job: I raise/breed/train horses.


3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: Totally self-taught when it comes to the horses but I did graduate high school.


4. Birthplace: Greenville, Arkansas


5. Favorite type of pet: Horses - except they are more than a pet to me, they’re my livelihood. I also love Rat Terriers. Breed and raise them too.


Blurb: Amber Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood. Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber's father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?


 


Excerpt: Emotion burst to life within her and swarmed through Amber until it overflowed, warm and wet down her cheeks.


Stan tasted her tears and groaned. Loosening his hold he broke the kiss, burying his face against her shoulder. “God,” he mumbled, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry.”


She looked at him wide-eyed and trembling. Anger, desire, and wonder warred in her eyes. She rolled them in an exaggerated gesture. “Now, he apologizes,” she muttered then leveled her gaze on him.


“Why haven’t you kissed me like that before?”


His breath heaved while he struggled for control. “Didn’t think it was proper, still don’t.”


“So that’s what you meant by all lips and teeth and tongue?” she asked, her voice quivering with awe.


He stepped back, touching her cheek with his uninjured hand. “Yes.” His voice was raw, eyes fierce. “But not with anger, never with anger. I’m sorry.”


Grabbing his hand, she pressed a kiss into it. “Show me,” she urged her eyes soft and warm. “Kiss me again, Stanley.”


“No, Amber.” But she was pressing against him, her arms sliding around his neck. Senses dulled by fatigue, resistance clouded by pain, control ravished and weakened by desire, Stanley succumbed with a groan. Hauling her gently but firmly against him, he buried his lips on hers, this time with devastating tenderness.


His mouth embraced hers tasting, teasing, savoring her lips as though he were a starving man biting into his first meal in weeks. His teeth nipped at her lip, tugging a moan from deep within her. Amber clung to him weakly as they slid to the floor.


Purchase Links:




Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/Zwr3X2








 


Author bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”


#BookQW word is DRINK-- excerpt from Unholy Alliance, a #Tirgearr Publishing #RomanticSuspense --

Book quote Wednesday's word is drink.   Here's how we play it-- find the word in an excerpt.  Below in Unholy Alliance , the...