Spotlight on: The Last Watch

Congratulations to author J.S. Dewes on the publication of her debut novel THE LAST WATCH! I look forward to reading it soon but wanted to tell readers about it on the publication day.

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes

Published:  April 20, 2021 – Tor Books

Content provided by the publisher

Description:

The Expanse meets Game of Thrones in J. S. Dewes’s fast-paced, sci-fi adventure The Last Watch, where a handful of soldiers stand between humanity and annihilation.

The Divide.

It’s the edge of the universe.

Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything with it.

The only ones who can stop it are the Sentinels—the recruits, exiles, and court-martialed dregs of the military.

At the Divide, Adequin Rake commands the Argus. She has no resources, no comms—nothing, except for the soldiers that no one wanted. Her ace in the hole could be Cavalon Mercer–genius, asshole, and exiled prince who nuked his grandfather’s genetic facility for “reasons.”

She knows they’re humanity’s last chance.

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About the author:

After graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in film production, J. S. Dewes went on to serve as cinematographer for independent films, write, produce, and shoot a zombie musical, slay internet dragons, and act as lighting designer for presidents and presidential-hopefuls. She currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, who’s proven to be a mixed blessing, but he makes her laugh, so she’s decided to stick it out. They have two dogs (full blessings) and a cat of unpredictable demeanor. The Last Watch is her debut novel.

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Spotlight: Deal With The Devil

Deal With The Devil by Kit Rocha

Published:  July 2020 – Tor Books

Book courtesy of the publisher

Description:

Deal with the Devil is Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha.

Nina is an information broker with a mission—she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he’s fighting to survive.

They’re on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process…

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance. 

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Advance praise:

“An exhilarating start to what promises to be a compelling series… bring on the next Mercenary Librarians adventure!”

—Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author

“The sizzling sexual tension is simply the icing that makes DEAL WITH THE DEVIL one of my favorite SF reads ever.”

—Alyssa Cole, award-winning author

“High-stakes action and plenty of chemistry, DEAL WITH THE DEVIL absolutely crackles!”

—Chloe Neill, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

“My advice? Cancel your plans so you can get swallowed up in Kit Rocha’s exciting new world.”

—Thea Harrison, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author

“Edgy and engrossing, I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

—Jeaniene Frost, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

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Spotlight: Master Class

Master Class by Christina Dalcher

Published:  April 2020 – Berkley

Publisher’s Description:

It’s impossible to know what you will do…

Every child’s potential is regularly determined by a standardized measurement: their quotient (Q). Score high enough, and attend a top tier school with a golden future. Score too low, and it’s off to a federal boarding school with limited prospects afterwards. The purpose? An improved society where education costs drop, teachers focus on the more promising students, and parents are happy.

When your child is taken from you.

Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s elite schools. When her nine-year-old daughter bombs a monthly test and her Q score drops to a disastrously low level, she is immediately forced to leave her top school for a federal institution hundreds of miles away. As a teacher, Elena thought she understood the tiered educational system, but as a mother whose child is now gone, Elena’s perspective is changed forever. She just wants her daughter back.

And she will do the unthinkable to make it happen.

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About the author:

Christina Dalcher earned her doctorate in theoretical linguistics from Georgetown University. She specializes in the phonetics of sound change in Italian and British dialects and has taught at several universities.

Her short stories and flash fiction appear in more than one hundred journals worldwide. Recognition includes first place for the Bath Flash Award, nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and multiple other awards. She lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with her husband.

 

Photo credit: Laurens Arenas

Buy links:

• Barnes & Noble
• Books A Million
• Bookshop.org
• IndieBound
• Powell’s
• Target
• Walmart
• Amazon

 

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Early Praise for Master Class:

“The book’s examination of the way people will accept more and more small social changes until the system becomes something unrecognizable and horrific feels timely and urgent…top notch and keeps the reader guessing. An engaging parable of dangerous social change.”⁠—Kirkus Reviews

“Dalcher combines the pace and tension of a standout thriller with thought-provoking projections of the possible end result of ranking children based on test scores. Admirers of The Handmaid’s Tale will be appropriately unsettled.”⁠—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Dalcher’s novel reads like an expanded episode of Black Mirror; it is terrifying, haunting, and cautionary.”—Booklist

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The Passengers by John Marrs

The Passengers by John Marrs

Published:  August 2019 – Berkley

Finished copy courtesy of Berkley

Description: You’re riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, “You are going to die.”
 
Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man.
 
From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world. But the public will show their true colors when they are asked, “Which of these people should we save?…And who should we kill first?”  (publisher)

My take:  So, if you skipped reading the description above go back and read it now.

I like testing new products and was an early user of Amazon’s Echo device but if given the chance to be an early adopter of a self-driving car I would take a pass. And this novel is why!

However, I enjoyed The Passengers for the near-futuristic thriller it is. It grabbed me from page one and had me reading (and listening) to the entire novel in one day. Because of that I think it would be a good possibility for a book-to-screen adaptation. I found myself wondering who would play the various characters. The pacing is good and the plot is dotted with twists up until the very end.

The Passengers was out of my normal reading comfort zone and I was glad I took a chance on it. A fun read!

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Spotlight/US Giveaway: The Empire’s Ghost by Isabelle Steiger

The Empire’s Ghost

By Isabelle Steiger

$25.99;  978-1-250-08848-2

Thomas Dunne Books

Publication Date: May 16, 2017

Hardcover

Description:

Isabelle Steiger has crafted a powerful and masterful debut with The Empire’s Ghost, the first book in a haunting new epic fantasy series.

The empire of Elesthene once spanned a continent, but its rise heralded the death of magic. It tore itself apart from within, leaving behind a patchwork of kingdoms struggling to rebuild. But when a new dictator, the ambitious and enigmatic Imperator Elgar, seizes power in the old capital and seeks to recreate the lost empire anew, the other kingdoms have little hope of stopping him. Prince Kelken of Reglay finds himself at odds with his father at his country’s darkest hour; the marquise of Esthrades is unmatched in politics and strategy, but she sits at a staggering military disadvantage. And Issamira, the most powerful of the free countries, has shut itself off from the conflict, thrown into confusion by the disappearance of its crown prince and the ensuing struggle for succession.

Everything seems aligned in Elgar’s favor, but when he presses a band of insignificant but skilled alley-dwellers into his service for a mission of greatest secrecy, they find an unexpected opportunity to alter the balance of power in the war. Through their actions and those of the remaining royals, they may uncover not just a way to defeat Elgar, but also a deeper truth about their world’s lost history.

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About the author:

Isabelle Steiger was born in the city and grew up in the woods. She received her first notebook when she was eight, and she’s been filling them up ever since. She lives in New York, though her erstwhile companion, a very moody gray cat, has since retired and moved to Florida. The Empire’s Ghost is her first novel.

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Praise for The Empire’s Ghost:

“In The Empires Ghost, Isabelle Steiger has created a tapestry of compelling characters in a world that feels steeped in its own history. It’s the kind of book that you sink into, that envelops you and compels you to read more. I can’t wait for the sequel!” – Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood

“Steiger’s enjoyable epic fantasy debut weaves in and out of the lives of people on all sides of the struggle to determine the destiny of a continent… Steiger handles a complex plot and a multitude of viewpoints neatly and well. Revelations about the world and the characters are placed at suspenseful intervals, and the story raises many interesting questions…” – Publisher’s Weekly

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US Giveaway

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GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

Giveaway ends on May 24, 2017

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