Tag: Rebecca Zanetti

This Chicks WFH Wednesday- Week #1

Hi from Nashville, Tennessee! This week Nashville and most of the US have joined the majority of Europe in instituting Social Distancing in order to try to “slow the curve” of the COVID-19 or Coronavirus. What is Social Distancing? It is working from home, staying 6 feet away from another person, minimizing your contact with society, and with washing your hands (ALL THE TIME) hopefully helping to halt the spread of the virus.

Working from home, or WFH, sounds great but in the last week I’ve definitely learned that there are more con’s than pro’s.

WFH PRO’S AND CONS

Feeling like I’m on vacation- Normally when I’m “at home” it’s because I have the day off, it’s the weekend, or occasionally I’m sick. When any of these things happen I have free reign over what I can do with my time. I might read, write on my blog, watch TV, bake, run errands, etc. 830a-530p are my work hours and with the exception of an hour for lunch I should be working.

Social interaction- I’m the Marketing Manager for Nashville Ballet, so normally I work on a team and have constant interaction as we complete projects. The only personal interaction I have right now?

Meet my new team members! Sam on the left and Nash is on the right. I love them to death, but they also think I’m on vacation.

Personal space is gone. LOL.

ALL THE SNACKS!- I’m now a week into this WFH situation and I’m doing a little better with this issue, but it took me eating a box of Ginger Snap cookies in two days to see that I needed to take control of my eating habits. Leave the cookies on the shelf and grab the apple, Deb. That’s my new mantra.

Worry- After my first couple of days freaking out over all of the news exposure and going to the store and waiting in super long lines to get my share of toilet paper, milk, and bread I decided to do my thing, wash my hands and tune it out. At least until the 4p news where I’d find out the latest virus growth rate and store closures in the US. I’ve read my share of post-apocalyptic romances and this true life scenario is scaring the bejeezus out of me. So, watching the news does not make for a very productive day.

As an aside, I have to say that this all reminds me of Rebecca Zanetti’s Scorpius Syndrome series. The further you read in the series the more alpha the heroes get but the gov’t is corrupted by this virus also. You can only hope we aren’t headed in that direction…. It’s actually a good series, but a little life-like for me right now. I’ll drop the link below in case you are interested.

Synopsis: With nothing but rumors to lead her, Lynne Harmony has trekked across a nightmare landscape to find one man—a mysterious, damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong. He’s more than muscle and firepower—and in post-plague L.A., he’s her only hope. As the one woman who could cure the disease, Lynne is the single most volatile—and vulnerable—creature in this new and ruthless world. But face to face with Jax Mercury… . Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome)

I’ve mentioned a couple of the con’s and given you a good post apocalyptic book rec, but what are the pro’s?

MOM- My mom is in the top percentile at risk if she does catch the coronavirus. She’s 78 and has pretty bad asthma. Living in a multi-generational home, I was worried that I was going to have this virus attach itself to me at work and bring it home to infect my mother. I guess that could still happen because even though we are all limiting our involvement with the outside world we do occasionally venture out to the store and my husband who works in the newsroom at a local tv station still has to go into work every day. BUT we are doing what we can. We aren’t eating out, we’re not going to movies, we aren’t going to a concert, etc. Well, now you can’t do any of those things anyway, but over the last week we didn’t. I feel like my family has been proactive. That’s all you can do.

Spending even a moment more with my babies is a joy. If I’m feeling down I just reach out and get a kiss or a hug and it makes me feel better. If my dog wasn’t an 85 lb ball of energy I’d request that I take him to work once a week. He’s such a love bug.

Baking!- Maybe I can knock out a couple more of my Bouchon Bakery recipes. It would have to be something I have all of the ingredients for but I think I’ve some basics in the house.

Maybe I’ll even have time to read a book. Hmmmm. I bet I can find the time to do that one first!

I hope everyone is staying safe, keeping your distance, and washing your hands. We’ll get though this and I think come out on the other side an even better world than we are right now.

xoxo!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chick Read: Alpha’s Promise (Dark Protector’s #10) by Rebecca Zanetti

As one of the Seven, Ivar’s mission is to find a way to return to a hellish dimension to save his brother Quade before that world gets crushed. In order to find his way back he needs the help of Dr. Promise Williams, mathematical genius. He’s not the only one who wants her services and he finds himself fighting off the evil Kurjans before they can kidnap her to rescue their own from a similar dimension. With the help of the demon and vampire races he spirits her away so she can find the mathematical formula that will save the day. Spending time with the Dr. brings out Ivar’s alpha side and they soon find themselves creating sizzling chemistry that they both find irresistible.

It was easy to jump right into the story as this is the 10th novel in the series and the third or fourth in this most recent rehabilitation of the story. I wish I could say it was as easy to like these characters but I found it really hard! Ivar is recovering from being lost jumping from dimension to dimension and surviving some horrible physical injuries as well as being mentally wiped out. His character although alpha, seemed more boorish and I just didn’t find the same heart in his character that I did in the heroes of the earlier novels. Promise, also, had some serious warmth issues. For two such cool customers I found it hard to find emotion in their slam bam thank you ma’am sex life, and even less so in their rather stilted dialog.

I have been a fan of Rebecca Zanetti’s and love the earlier Dark Protectors novels, but once she returned to this series after venturing into other novels, she seems to be having trouble finding that magical ingredient again. I did enjoy her Realm Enforcer’s series, which inhabits this same world, but the last couple of books have been so-so and I’ll admit to disappointment. I might think twice before picking up another one of these novels for fear of finding them lacking again.

❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this ARC through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase! Alpha’s Promise (Dark Protectors)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Demon’s Mercy (Dark Protector’s #9) by Rebecca Zanetti

The Fae have decided to come out of hiding and save the world from being destroyed when the Seven form and dimensions collide. Mercy O’Malley is supposed to take out Logan Kyllwood, the last man set to join the Seven, but when she gets near him her blood sizzles and her heartbeat quickens. When she decides to kidnap him instead Logan goes along with it trying to figure out this new danger. Needless to say, neither one of them fights against the pull they have for each other even though they are fated to be on opposite sides of this war.

Logan was born a warrior and even though he is the youngest Kyllwood brother he has taken on a significant task of saving their world by joining the mysterious Seven. As with all of the other alpha heroes in this series, Logan is dark and broody but he has an element of fun that is brought out when he meets Mercy. Part of that is that she is Fae, a species he didn’t know was real. He jokingly calls her a fairy through the whole book, a title she begrudgingly accepts. It’s that humor that humanizes the story and makes she and Logan interesting.

I like that a new species has been introduced to this Dark Protector world. The discovery of what is “fae” makes this story interesting and I hope the author delves into that lineage more in future novels. Logan and Mercy were a fun pairing and I enjoyed their story and look forward to getting a glimpse into their future in the next Dark Protector story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given an ARC of this novel through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!*Demon’s Mercy (Dark Protectors Book 9)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Vampire’s Faith (Dark Protectors #8) by Rebecca Zanetti

Vampire’s Faith is the eighth book in the Dark Protectors series, but is really the first book in it’s own series, also set in the Dark Protectors world. Ronan Kayrs was sacrificed to live in an alternate dimension that was supposed to last for an eternity. His sacrifice was part of a key that would hold the ultimate enemy. When Ronan wakes in a hospital, he realizes his part of the containment has collapsed, and that evil is closer to being released back into this world. However, there is a bright side for Ronan. When he awakes he also sets sight on the woman he has been dreaming of for centuries, his mate Dr. Faith Cooper.

The Dark Protectors series is my favorite of Rebecca Zanetti’s. It uses the time honored theme of good vs evil, but with a paranormal twist. Vampire’s Faith adds another twist in that Ronan is a King from centuries ago. His brothers descendants are the current time Kayrs family who rules their vampire nation and are the heroes of the earlier books in this series. A clever way to tie the stories together and keep this thrilling series alive.

I had a really easy time enjoying Ronan. When he entered the story he was kind of goofy, after all he was dropped into current technology, clothing, etc. He was charming and self deprecating as he wooed his mate. As the story moved forward, he became more demanding and reverted to the “I am male therefore you should listen to me” ways of the past. Luckily Faith was not going along with his program. It made for a tension filled  love story where both of their eyes were being opened to unusual things and they had to rely on each other to be their anchor in an unfamiliar world. The highlight was that the attraction between the two was sizzling and their passion jumped off the pages.

Where I felt the story slow down was when the Kurjans and Cyst were bigger players in a scene. I guess I needed a little more back story for this hidden sect that showed up all of a sudden as the big evil was closer to being released. I’m sure their part in this story will get fleshed out a little more in the next novel, which looks to be a good one. The story set up nicely at the end of this book to tantalize the reader.

If you love paranormal romances this series is great. You can start with book #8 and jump right in, but to get a better picture of this world start at the beginning with Fated. It’s one of my favorites in the series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Vampire's Faith

Click this link to purchase! Vampire’s Faith

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reseved

I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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This Chick Read: Storm Gathering (The Scorpius Syndrome #4) by Rebecca Zanetti

Storm Gathering starts off with our crew of Mercs in post apocalyptic Southern California where we catch up with Greyson and Maureen’s storyline. Their beginning took place in the third novel about Raze and Vinnie. Raze is Maureen’s brother and had been hunting for his sister throughout that novel and he ends up finding her in Grey’s hands Because I’ve read all of the novels in this series, the recap of Greyson and Maureen’s origin story was superfluous, but I know the author included it so that the novel could stand alone. However, there is a lot of back story that would be missing for the other characters who do actually play a large role in the storyline that has been continued from book to book.

Greyson, as the leader of the mercenaries, or Mercs, is a hard ex soldier. He had captured Maureen because her background in biology was needed by his group. Their attraction for each other was immediate, though they both fought hard against it. Maureen, although a scientist, and uber smart, was one of the less physical heroines in this series. I only point out that fact because Greyson seems to be the most unemotional and physical of them all. Maybe they were attracted to each other because their traits balanced the other half? I don’t know but because he was so stoic, I had a hard time liking him as much as I did some of the other male characters in the series. At times I wanted Moe to just write him off and let her brother Raze take her back to the Vanguard compound. Of course in a post apocalyptic world where the Scorpius virus seems to have created super soldiers, I guess a sensitive man wouldn’t survive for very long.

This was a good novel, but my least favorite in the series so far. However, I am invested in the overall plot. Will they find the cure to the Scorpius virus? Will the human race die out because pregnancies don’t survive the virus? Will this evil president ever die? There are so many questions unanswered! I’ll just have to read the next book to find out! ❤️❤️❤️

I was given an ARC of this book for my honest review, and it was honest.


Click on the link to purchase! Storm Gathering (The Scorpius Syndrome Book 4)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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This Chick Read: Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers) by Rebecca Zanetti

Finally we get to see Bear the Alpha of the Grizzly nation and head of the Grizzly MC Club get his own heroine and chance at everlasting love! Wicked Bite continues the storyline of finding and eliminating the Apollo drug that is being used to kill off the Witch nation. Nessa Lansa goes undercover by approaching Bear as a possible mate. She is a witch who can’t draw upon fire and he is a bear shifter who is also half dragon. In a previous novel, Bear went against nature to shift into a dragon to save his sister Simone, irreparably harming his soul. Nessa’s story is that if they mate, her healing skills will work better at healing Bear, where she may gain his dragon fire. Of course, there’s this thing called physical attraction that comes into play and Bear starts taking this Mate thing very seriously!

I’ve heard this is the last novel in the Realm Enforcers series. Oh no!  As an offshoot of the Dark Protectors series I really enjoyed catching up with all of our past characters. I hope I’m wrong because I can see a couple more heroes in this last novel that should get their own story. Can we get another spinoff? We can only hope!

Bear had been a favorite character and I was happy to see his HEA. His easygoing bear nature fooled everyone including Nessa, who learned that there was a reason he was Alpha, and in this novel that Alpha warrior got to come out and play. Nessa was also no push over. Her Alpha Princess came out packing this novel full of action, and not just of the bedroom variety! If this series does end here, I think it’s a great ending, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s more of this world in our future.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley for an honest review, and my review was honest.


Click link to purchase! Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers Book 5)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

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This Chick Read: Wicked Kiss (Realm Enforcers) by Rebecca Zanetti

Adam Dunne and his brothers are enforcers for the Circle of Nine, but his brothers have recently been declared treasonous to their realm. The Witch realm. As the remaining enforcer of a tribunal that has an evil witch leading it, Adam is under a lot of pressure to help his family overcome these charges. Although Adam looks like a lawyer, he is a witch and he is on the hunt to save Victoria Monzelle, his sister in laws sister from his own tribunal who wants to kill her. This only adds to his responsibilities. Victoria is a rebel with purple tipped hair, but when she finds out that these other realms exist her very existence is in jeopardy. You see, humans aren’t supposed to know about them. Adam seems like a good guy, but she has trust issues. You would too if your father was a convicted drug mobster. However, there’s this spark between she and Adam that she can’t deny and doesn’t really want to resist.

This book starts off with a bang and never stops. I love the Realm Enforcer series as it’s a spinoff from the Dark Protectors series and some of my favorite characters pop up in this book. Literally, in one case. Dage, the King of the Vampires helps Adam out a lot in this book. Enough that I’m remembering how fun his story was and want to go back and read it. If you are also a fan of Rebecca Zanetti’s style, you will get your fix of Alpha male falls for sassy girl in Wicked Kiss and find yourself smiling as you read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given an ARC of this book through NetGalley for an honest review, and it was honest.


Click the link to purchase! Wicked Kiss

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Lethal Lies (Blood Brothers #2) by Rebecca Zanetti #Giveaway

The Giveaway has finished and congratulations to the winner!

Anya Best is being stalked by a serial killer. Taunting her with pictures of his murders, she is struck by the similarity between his victims and herself. Asking for help from her FBI Agent sister only got Loretta killed as well, and Anya is out for justice! Playing the media, Anya sends a direct message to the killer.

“I’m tired of your game and am getting bored. In fact, I’m recently engaged to a real man, unlike you. My fiancé is Heath Jones of Lost Bastards Investigative Services….You don’t like anyone in law enforcement, right? I’m marrying a guy who chases down jerks like you.”

With that challenge made, Heath, only peripherally involved before, suddenly has a fiancé, and the added danger that his past may have seen Anya’s announcement on the news giving away his location. He needs to catch this killer before time runs out.

I loved that Anya was not a weak heroine. She fought all of her instincts to run away in order to get her revenge against the man who killed her sister. In the bargain, she got a hot commando alpha male who’s first instinct was to protect what was now his and make her his own. I thought Heath got the short end of the stick with Anya who was determined to use herself as bait. This book was a fun quick read and the characters were easy to root for.

The underlying sub plot that runs through both the Sin Brothers series as well as this offshoot has still to reach its conclusion. In case you aren’t familiar with these books, all of the heroes in these novels have been biologically engineered with various super abilities. Heath’s is the ability to move really quickly that gives him an edge during a fight. All of the brothers also have enhanced hearing and sight. Abilities that the doctor who created them wants to breed into a new set of super soldiers. Needless to say, we have a lot of evil running around loose and these brothers have some hard work in front of them.  Will this story ARC conclude with the next book? I can’t wait to find out!

I received a copy of this book for my honest review, and it was honest!

Want a chance to own a copy of Lethal Lies? Click the Giveaway link below!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

GIVEAWAY- US Only, sorry! EXPIRES 5/19/17!

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This Chick’s Sunday Commentary: Authors could solve the worlds problems…

I love reading fiction for many different reasons; I can escape from reality, I can explore different lands, I can fall in love over and over again, I can learn new languages, I can have great sex, I can can fight oppression, and I can be a hero. The list goes on and on! If you follow my book reviews you know I like books where the underdog wins, women find the power within to beat bad odds, where “race issues” are played out between humans and elves-vampires and werewolves, where basically the world becomes a better place because people WANT to make it better in these books. Of course, there is always a happy ending, or at least a sequel where the characters I love will get to take that battle to the next level.

I love that these life themes are played out in Young Adult books, so girls can learn empowerment and boys can learn how to work with others to change the world for the better (Snow Like Ashes).

I love that romantic fantasy can be between two different races. One race who lives in the day and one in the night, and even though the darker race has large teeth and the lighter race is considered horrifyingly ugly because of the lightness of her skin, they still open people’s eyes to the love in their union. They set a good example for acceptance and unity (Eidolon).

I love that those in power can learn from the humanity in one individual, even if they are an alien,that makes them change their behavior towards an entire race (Star Nomad).

I also love that I can escape into a fantasy world where a small group of individuals battle against an egomaniacal President who is infected with a deadly virus and win that battle (Justice Ascending).

All of these themes, although played out in fiction, give me hope that the light of humanity exists. After all, these authors are writing about things that exist in our every day life- hatred, bigotry, love, war, friendship, honor, and ultimately the power of good people doing great things. These themes must have resonated because these authors are successful and fans buy their books in bundles!

I would like to make a suggestion on the next book our leader should read. Nicola Yoon could teach you about how deportation feels from a teenagers viewpoint in The Sun is Also a Star, or maybe you could learn compassion from a nice interracial love story set during the Civil Rights Movement in Alissa Cole’s Let it Shine. Really, I’d love it if he would read the moment in Rebecca Zanetti’s Mercury Striking when the virus takes hold of the President and he becomes a psychopath, there are some frightening similarities.

I guess what I’m trying to convey is that writers have been fighting and solving these real life themes for generations. The books I mention above are all books I’ve read recently, but you can find great ideas in the classics as well. Maybe what we need from our worlds leaders, besides the obvious things like compassion, intelligence, thoughtfulness, a good world view, etc. is also to be well read. Well read in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Young Adult novels, Mysteries-all of these genres, and others, have some great solutions to the problems our world is dealing with right now. You may have to look past the fangs to find them, but the solutions are in our fiction novels.

It’s something to think on-

Please click each book below to read my reviews on each, and to link to buy.

Deborah

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This Chick Read: Justice Ascending (Scorpius Syndrome #3) by Rebecca Zanetti

Tace Justice and Sami Steel are two of Jax Mercury’s trusted Vanguard soldiers. Their team is responsible for both civilians and soldiers safety in the Vanguard compound in this post apocalyptic LA. We have gotten to know both of them in the previous two Scorpius Syndrome novels. Continue reading “This Chick Read: Justice Ascending (Scorpius Syndrome #3) by Rebecca Zanetti” →

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