Fast Friday 5 with...........

Cheryl is an author, a blogger and an adult educator. She writes fiction under the penname of a private hero, her mother, Olivia Gaines Aaron. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Master's in Organizational Management. Her non-fiction works are focused on helping writers perfect their craft. Cheryl co-authored Musings: A Book of Poetry by Aaron Flanders; and authored My Next Best Seller: A Novel Writer's Journal and My Writing Journal.

Under the penname Olivia Gaines, Cheryl has authored the short story series The Bounty (2009), Vengeance (2012) and The Bounty Hunter (2013). The Slice of Life Series is new in the Olivia Gaines portfolio which includes, Two Nights In Vegas, The Perfect Man, The Basement of Mr. McGee and Letter to My Mother.

BD:Who did you use as your muse for  Saxton? Odessa?

OG: There is no muse for my main characters.  Each character is uniquely written, but I have met women like Odessa.  We travel a great deal and have seen and met accomplished women of color who often travel alone.  These women, sans girlfriends, choose to go alone because their friends never have any money, can’t get a sitter, or “If my man can’t go with me, he said I can’t go.”  ( I have experienced that one first hand!)

Odessa is actually traveling with a tour group and she chooses to step out on her own to buy some pottery for her back porch.  She dreams of a man who resembles Saxton the night before, which makes her gravitate to him when she sees him at the cantina.

Saxton, Saxton, Saxton.  This character was named by my husband. Saxton is written as the typical anti-hero who is damaged and seeking redemption.  He is a good guy, in a bad situation that feels as if he is fading into the seedy world he was contracted to infiltrate. If he saves the girl, he just may save himself.

BD:  How much research and what kind did you for the characters and cartels? Brothels?

OG: A great deal of research was done on the cartels.  The Nuevo Generacíon is real. Renteria is real. There were 20,000 people who went missing last year in Mexico and human trafficking is also very real. There is a market for every appetite, and there is always a buyer. This story deals with a very real problem in a humorous way. 

As a woman of color, or any woman, when traveling, stateside or otherwise, you have to be very aware of your surroundings. The US is one of the few countries where a woman of color has a voice and is not property or a commodity.

BD:    Where did you learn about firearms?

OG: I am a former soldier, which is why Odessa was not written as one.  Big Sarge is based on a Sergeant Major I had in ROTC in college. He taught and groomed me as a young Army officer to stand my ground among men and not show fear.  Being taught and trained by those types of men really changes your perspective on who is a strong man and which men are playing tough.

Odessa is written as she is because her father is a strong man; those guys, although unscrupulous, are not really bad. They are men with guns, whom, when confronted with women with hand held weapons, dropped theirs and took off. Her father, who is not a foil, will play a much larger role in the upcoming series, which is why he was introduced in the first installment.

BD"  Are you planning to make this a series? How many books? body count? sex?

OG: As a writer, there is always a critic.  My first installment in the Slice of Life Series, was nothing but sex.  The second installment, the sex was pulled back and replaced with a really good story. However, my readers were

obsessed with Marc and Nadine, and I wanted to introduce two new characters for them to connect with, enter Saxton and Odessa.  This was a bonus read for my online community of bibliophiles. I omitted the sex and wrote a truly good story, but then the readers were mad that there was no sex. There will be some in the next book, but the story is about the story, not about sex.

I am uncertain of how many books will be in the Blakemore Files series. I have an idea, but it is too soon to state.

I am wary about body count.  Taking a life is never easy and there are ramifications which follow, so I have a surprise for readers in the next installment of “Shopping with Mrs. Blakemore,” as they head into Panama.

There were several symbols in the story, and two of my favorites are the priest and the children with the basket of rings.

BD:  Who was your favorite character? Renteria

OG: The Priest symbolizes that even though these men are doing illegal activities, they still take the time out to worship.  The Priest is their connection to the good inside of us all.  I left the window open for reader to imagine the Priest was at the villa to hear Renteria’s confession, but when alerted by Mateo, he was asked to stay to perform the ceremony.  In the same section, you have the children with the basket of rings. Renteria has held on to these trinkets from people whom they have abducted. If there is a basket of rings, then there is a basket of watches, purses, credit cards and so forth. Each ring, represents a lost life.

Renteria is my favorite character because he is the one who will grow the most and the one character who will and can change. You will see him again. He is written as someone who has inherited the family business and is stuck with having to employ his screwed up cousin and a man he does not trust. In the business, he has tried to create a sense of family by building a cantina, and having women on site for the men, but his family is dysfunctional, and he knows it.  He sees Odessa as an opportunity to grow his business, which is why he makes her the job offer, even after she leaves.

He wants to be a legitimate business man.

To read more from this author click here to visit her Amazon page! Or, here to visit her on Goodreads

The Space Between by Victoria H. Wilson

I sighed a lot during this book, these characters and their romance was so wonderfully written that I even cried at the end. No, thats a lie. I blubbered with snot and ugly face.

Drake is an Asian American adopted into a wealthy and influential caucasian family. Lacey is a bi-racial girl struggling to make ends meet while her stars are aligning.

Their paths cross and fireworks start, but they end in police sirens. Can two people from very different backgrounds come togehter in the space between?

Uhm, yes. And I enjoyed every word of it.

Have you ever fallen truly, madly, heels behind head in love with a character? I have several times. And Drake is now on my Hall Pass list. Damn he's sexy; deep voice, mahogany eyes, warm heart and a strong libido. I kinda want to be Lacey.

Fav line: "She took it like she wanted it. Like she owned it"
Errors:

Location. 2044  "..do you mind if I braid you hair?"

Location 3656 "Cooper came back and handled me a..."

Location. "Standing stark still, his mom didn't say a work."

Locatio 4853 "..it was hard to image that a small..."

My interpretation of Drake:

Nathan Adrian

If you would like to visit Amazon's page for this book click the cover or click here! And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Suck what up more?

Suck it up by Emma Hillman

Love story between Dr. Nathan and his nurse Kellie, its part of a series about a particular pride. Kellie has a lot of problems and really bad luck. Her lion is gay, but she isn't. Nathan is perfect, other than the God problem he has when he mates Kellie without telling her or discussing it with the rest of his pride.

There were a lot of interesting twists and characters, SPOILER ALERT, the antagonist is a woman! Yay! Amnd Hillman buck tradition and creates a un-formulaic storyline and the sex in the book is good. But this is a novella and the price was kind of high for the amount of story you get, so I deducted a star based on that.

Overall,  an ok ready.

I only found one error:
Location 1089 "...they were always so full of themselves, so egomaniac" ---> should have been egotistical or egomaniacal.

Click on the title or image to visit this book on Amazon.com. And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

He's so my type....

He's so shy by Lena Matthews

Gillian and Lennon are co-workers. She mistakes him for being shy and decides to make him her project. He plays along. This is a good dirty book! I love the character, both the hero and heroine are well thought out with their motivations clearly made at the beginning of the story. Gillian likes the 'white guy' but won't admit it, so she takes him out for drinks and finds out that he's not shy at all. I admit my favorite character is her friend, she could by my wing-women any time. The big reveal in this book involves a party at a friends house, No I would NEVER participate in that kind of party. But the freak in me enjoyed reading about it. I also loved that the shero of this book was not afraid to find her love; I'm over women who run away from a good man. i would love to read more from this series.

There were a few errors:

Location 343 "And blind as a bat is she thought he could possible find any.....---> should be "possibly"

Location 1273 "Every since their little office escapade..." --> "Ever since"

The error at location 1373 is too adult to quote, but the wrong word is used, should be "fingering"

My new favorite word and  Favorite line of the book, Location 1226 "a fast convert to the religion of assianity"- Yeah, I will be using this to describe C-mac cause I converted him personally!

If you enjoyed this read click here. And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

False starts for the first week of April.....

Abandoned but not alone by Theresa L. Henry

A whole lot of telling without saying anything.

An immature annoying  heroine
1. Good thing you're an adult cause your parents couldn't afford to feed you
2. Hiding behind a grown stranger
3. A blurted chicken story

I have no idea the time and place the story takes place or any idea what any of the characters look like. DNF'd (Did not finish)

Needing Nita by Norah Wilson

Here is an example of the writing in this book "She'd only had" ---> translates to---> 'she had only had'

Enough said.

'Had'

1. 80% of the time its not necessary
2. Over usage- its annoyance to read over and over
3. Sometimes we write the way we talk to make our characters more realistic
4. Passive-aggressive: as the author its your story, take control and make me believe it
5. Feel a bit ameteur. I don't have the same complaint with GRRM or Anne Rice or James Patterson.

Please take my advice and re-read your work

The Admission by Jamallah Bergman

This book had so many errors, annoying characters, and No I'm not a hypocrite, I'm admit to being awful with grammar and I'm not charging for people to read my blog, it's free. So, if you're going to charge readers you will come under fire for having grammatical errors.

Location 470
"She stopped to straightening her clothes and took a deep..." should have been "Straighten"

The characters father is supposed to be verbally abusive (always negative and hurtful), but his lines to her aren't that hateful.

Location 680 or so:
"I like it the way it was, Cathy, I would appreciate it if you wire it the way it used to be for the party"

In my mind this is a case of "Don't talk about it, be about it" If the character uses his words as ammo than demonstrate that. Don't tell me 5011 (yeah, I stole that from my lil cousin) times that he's mean to her.  Show me.

Though this is a gorgeous cover and I'm not afraid to try something else by this author.

Happy Birthday Mr. Washington by C. Jackson

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't do it. The Heroine is different and I usually like that, but I couldn't like the Hero. He breaks up with his girlfriend and goes out with a different girl on the very same day. That was a turn off to me. I also had a hard time with the sex scene's, they were boring and I hate boring sex!

Book Boyfriend of March

Avery from Dark Genesis by A.D. Koboah

Gentile and sweet, Avery is vampire that feels and cares. He's loyal and honest. but, this dude is no pushover, he's a vampire with an intense heart and I Luv him.

Here is my best guess at what Avery would look like if he were real ( Ian Sommerhalder or Sommerholder. The dude from The Vampire Diaries ) and I weren't endlessly in love with my husband.

If you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Favorite new author!

Dark genesis by A.D. Koboah

This book is awesome! No really, it's so good that I laughed and cried and now I demand another. The characters rich story fully comes alive on the pages, you see and live with Luna, you fall in love with Avery and by the end you want nothing more than to hold him in your arms and keep him safe. The best way I can describe this is, if "Interview with a vampire" was the grandfather of "Vampire Diaries" and that book had a baby with "Wench" than you would get "dark genesis"

This is the story of an oppressed slave, Luna. She is a woman weighed down by the attention of her master and his son. Seeking solace in a burned chapel she pours her soul out over a stolen bible that she can't even read. Avery, tied to the chapel by his guilt hears her plea and decides to do something about it. Here our story begins...

There are some minor issues:

The epilogue is a tad confusing and I almost stopped there; it was a string of contradictions; relatives having good luck; they were millionaires, but dying tragically. Not lucky in my opinion. And, I didn't care for Dallas and her flippant attitude toward being rich and having a second sight. I hate people who complain about being rich. And people who ignore their instincts.

Dialect is a twofold problem:

1. The author is british and many of the words are spelled in the UK manner. I.e. 'realised' rather than 'realized' and meters are used instead of miles.

2. Luna speaks in a dialect. This can get old fast; though, I moved past this annoyance easily some of you may not.

Grammatical issues:

Location 918 "her face a mask of unalderated hated...." Should be 'hatred' or 'hate'

Location 3390 "..had succeeding in bringing it to its place" should be 'succeeded'

Overall:

I want my own Avery and I will be writing this author and demanding that she finish and publish the next installment in this series. C-mac has already got baby blue's, do you think he'll wear a long haired wig and let me call him 'Avery?'

To purchase this book online click here. And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

UPDATE!! Hubby scoffed when I asked him to put on a wig, in fact he was so outraged that I have been relegated to having to be "nice." Foot rubs, scalp massages, and waking up earlier than normal to make him breakfast and coffee. Boo! Toe jam sux.

Stranded!

Stranded! by Pepper Pace

I've read a lot of P.P. and this is one of my least favorite. The story is good and interesting, but the characters lacked the depth that all of her characters endeared themselves with. I didn't care about either of the characters and thus didn't much care for the story.

I'm jus sayin: 
This is not a bad read, its a good book, just not on par with W.O.S. or Beast.

Please leave a comment after you've Devour this book!

Adrienne!

Adrienne (Bron universe) by D. Renee Bagby

Adrienne is an average college student with a great destiny. Malik is the king of a country on Neon, a mirrored universe of earth.

The good:
I pictured Malik as Jason Momoa (that is him, Lisa Bonet's boo)

The bad:
A few grammatical errors

I'm jus sayin:
This is a good read worth the price of the book.

Devour this book!

Please leave a comment, I would love to discuss this book with you!

one more of Jason Momoa

Taken by a great read...

Taken by Moonlight by Violette Dubrinsky

Werewolf Conall Athelwulf is the leader of the largest pack in New York, a trusted leader and Uncle, Conall meets and falls in love with Vivienne Bordeux, a young human he falls upon in the woods. Vivianne, a sweet natured good girl is immediately drawn to the commanding man she meets first in the woods, then on the dance floor. Their love ignites their passion and a dormant ability within Vivianne; when others threaten his claim on his new found love, Conall is determined to keep her safe, even if Vivienne may be key to the salvation of an entire race and the ultimate end of his own.



The Good:
I really love a well thought out story and this is one; witch's, warlocks, demigods, were's, and druids this book has them all. I loved that each race has an origin explained without being to scientific; I love that there are so many great characters available for me to read. I love the story; Vivienne and Conall make me melt when I think of their love, but there is more, the supporting cast is also well written and just as interesting as the main characters without overloading my poor excited brain! I cannot wait for sequel!


The Bad:
That this book ended and Drew and Max are still not together.

I'm just sayin:
I can't wait until the next book! Seriously, hurry up; but not too much cause I NEED the same quality of story as this book!

Laid Bare/Blah

Zora Calloway is ready for the next stage of her life after a series of frightening leads her to pursue a new home and job. On the way she has a near-fatal collision on a country back road, the accident changes everything. She wakes up in a secluded cabin owned by bear-shifter cousins Heath, Gavin and Logan Lamere who believe that Zora's accident is fate, she’s the one they’ve been waiting for.

The Good: The Title and this is a complete story, often in the I/R genre the characters and situations feel contrived; the women insecure and the men very patient. I will say that Zora came around reasonably enough, though I would have liked to see her have more one on one situations with her  men and I also would have liked spending more time learning each man's personalit and background  

The Bad: Sorry but the Ménage à orgy thing was a turn off for me; group sex with only one woman and three straight men packing extra large heat, um no thanks.

I'm just saying: All I kept thinking was how do you develop a rhythm, wouldn't one of these guys dislike having balls in his face, cause someone besides her has a pair in their face. And, how tiring would it be to have three men to service, your body would be one giant ouch! I know, I know already, I stop reading smut and go for something with more substance. OK, I read non-smut (occasionally) but in between the hard hitting stuff can't I get my freak on?

Overall: Keep your $3.44 and look for something else or click here to check out the book

Book Boyfriend of August: Conall Viga-Feilan

Conall Viga-Feilan

So, I fall in love with book characters all the time and I thought I should give them some love on my blog. This month my book boyfriend is Conall Viga-Feilan of "The Magnus Pack"series, but featured as the main character in the book "Go Fetch" by Shelly Laurenston. Viking, shape shifting wolf, and abnormally large blonde Conall is more than just character candy, he's intelligent, loyal, and grateful for his good fortune. Even, when he's "blessed" by falling in love with a mean woman who does her very best to avoid how vulnerable falling in love will make her. Miki Kendrik, the vertically challenged hacker genius (178 IQ), bartender, and outspoken friend even goes beyond the duck and dodge of the inevitable, she actually drugs the poor man to unconsciousness, and that's after she tries to get him arrested, twice! But, Conall takes it all in stride, loving her intelligence and fierce protectiveness with the same vigor that he has for her big beautifully round ass and gorgeous lips.  

              

This is a picture of ClayMattews, he is my interpretation

of what Shelly Laurenston's character

would look like.

Best Line: "Well, so you don't get too cocky, I myself often complete the TV Guide crossword puzzle"...."In pen"



Appearances: "Pack Challenge", "Go Fetch", and "Here Kitty, Kitty"By Shelly Laurenston

Description: This one blonde.....He was as big as a house..Like a blonde polar bear. All muscles and strength. Thor, God of Thunder- from "Pack Challenge" By Shelly Laurenston


B.B. Runner up: David Beckham. Yes, he's a book character! If you consider all the non-fiction that has been written about him as a character; then, yes he's a character. Just shut up about him being real and married, what's up vicki, smile some time this year please cause I'm married to and would probably drool and stutter if I actually met him in real life. I would also have to stop a fistfight between him and C-Macdaddy, cause not only is he my side piece, but hubby is a diehard Chelsea fan and Beck's is the enemy. However, D.B. is delicious and my honarary (IT IS TO AN HONOR!) boyfriend of the month.


Thanks- M.

To check this series please follow the links to Shely Laurenston's Amazon.com page or her personal web page

"Pack challenge"
 "Go Fetch"
" Here Kitty, kitty"