Book Review: Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom by Lisa Weaver

A chance encounter in Maine between a bodyguard and a skinny-dippying redheaded trespasser leaves Luke Reynolds wanting more. The redhead, Brianna Atwood, desperately needs a vacation and a chance to recover from the news that she’s an heiress.

A few months later Luke is tasked to be Brianna’s bodyguard and to his delight the chemistry between them is as hot as ever. But Luke can’t let down his guard. Last time he did that, his girlfriend died.

Brianna is the daughter of a housemaid and she’s seen the seamier side of life and seen how cruel men can be. Putting her heart on the line is not in her plans.

Threats on Brianna’s life bring them close and force them to rely on each other to outmaneuver her enemy.

A nice addition to Weaver’s Billionaire series. I’m always a sucker for love-at-first-sight stories.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Trumpet Fanfare! New Book from Maggie Toussaint

I have a new book out. This one is in my dystopian thriller series, and it follows my Kindle Scout winning G-1. I'm so happy to have this book available for fans of G-1.

In G-2, first contact is made with an alien race in an Earth 50 years from now. The aliens come in peace and seek to set up trade agreements. Countries round the globe wine and dine the aliens in hopes of finding favor and getting rich.

But my protagonist Dr. Zeke Landry knows a thing or two about aliens, especially this race. They are not to be trusted. He fights back using his trusty android sidekick, who's currently lovesick over being dumped by the hottest female music artist on the planet.

I'm posing an excerpt below, and I hope you'll check out this fantastic story.

ALSO, I WILL BE HAVING 3 FACEBOOK LAUNCH PARTIES. I have collected great prizes of necklaces related to the story, dolphin tattoos, dolphin pens, dolphin key rings, glow in the dark key tags, and more.

This pendant is representative of Zeke's keystone necklace he inherited from his father. This oddly shaped stone is an actual key to his secret hideout (shh, don't tell) under the lighthouse on Tama Island. I have 3 of these to give away, one at each Facebook party.

Mark your calendar so that you can make at least one of these Facebook parties, and if you want to try for a prize you missed, hit all three!

Thursday, Sept. 24 7-8 pm EDT, Book Launch Party
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 3-5 pm EDT, Bookies
Saturday, Oct. 17, 8-10 pm, Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans

EXCERPT FOR G-2

Shadows flickered in the darkness, black on black, Zeke’s mental gaze keenly attuned to the dark nuances. Frissons of dread peppered his thoughts, rattling his senses. He floated in the timeless void of space. Cold. Alone. Afraid.

Without warning, a line drive of thought energy socked him. He struggled to hold the link. The vermillion-tinged darkness reminded him of primordial ooze from which there was no escape. Was his planet destined to go the way of the dinosaurs?

Several voices spoke in uneasy unison, adding to Zeke’s disembodied sense. We have not been successful in dealing with Maleem. They take. They do not negotiate. They do not compromise.

His spirits plummeted. There had to be a way. He couldn’t give up on his planet without a fight. Someone, somewhere must have beaten the Maleem before. Earth needed to build on that success. He fired a query across the vacuum of space. Wait! What about those few stragglers on Drigil Eight? How did they survive?

BUY G-2 on Kindle

Maggie Toussaint
writing science fiction as Rigel Carson
visit my alter identity at RigelCarson.com

Book Review: Becoming Moon by Craig Hart

((Spoiler alert)) A young man who makes questionable choices becomes an imposter. In the heat of the moment he steals another author’s work. He rationalizes his actions, saying he deserved the success, but the move cost him friendships, his social life, and a chunk of his mental health. Years later, paranoid and compulsive, he has another opportunity to become "Someone," but he bolts at the first sign of trouble. In a diabolical plot twist, this character naturally flows into a second imposter role by legally assuming the rights to another’s name.

Kindle Scout winning Craig Hart’s book is deep, reminding us that we are a product of our choices. From the start, this protagonist bucked the system, choosing to go against tradition and his family’s wishes. Hart cleverly doesn’t name his protagonist, using him as an every man, a masthead for the universal screw-up inside each of us.

Coming from a fundamental Christian background, the main character has qualms about his actions, qualms that result in hallucinations and loathing of his father. The message of the book is: people lie, cheat, and steal. Some get away with it. Or do they?

Another reviewer mentioned this book as a modern classic. I second that endorsement. Hart draws you in with simple prose and a man-child driven by the need to succeed. In today’s world of "what’s in it for me?" it’s easy to see how this situation could transpire, even easier to see how morals and ethics are becoming less the fabric of our society and more like the out of date clothing shoved to the back of our closets. I predict you won’t quickly forget this excellent book.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Peril by Ponytail by Nancy J Cohen

 

Hair stylist and amateur sleuth Marla Vail and her detective husband, Dalton, travel to a dude ranch out West for their delayed honeymoon at the invitation of Dalton’s cousins. Despite the starkly beautiful scenery and their warm welcome, something is amiss.

Troubles escalate at the dude ranch and at a neighboring cattle ranch, igniting a long-simmering feud. Tempers run hot, and there’s plenty of blame to go around. Plus, there’s something odd about the mountainside water bottling plant with armed guards.

A forest ranger is found dead, and a missing worker at a nearby ghost town also adds to the unease at the ranches and in town. Marla and Dalton are drawn into the investigation, and trouble soon finds them. The dangerous attacks make this personal. Who is behind these incidents and possible murders?

I enjoyed another delightful visit with Marla and Dalton, and after such a long and successful series, they feel like old friends. Additionally, the western setting brought back pleasant memories of a family trip years ago. Another winner from talented author Nancy J. Cohen. Saddle up and come along for a great read!

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Goddess Rising by Alexi Lawless

Texas A&M students Wes and Samantha couldn’t be more different. He’s a poor kid from nowhere working two jobs to stay in school and study photography. She’s a rich kid with Daddy issues determined to prove herself by besting all the guys in ROTC.

The chemistry between Wes and Samantha is immediate and more than a little terrifying. Wes is a player and can have any woman he wants. Sam’s grown up around ranch hands and roughnecks and doesn’t make a habit of dating.

With their past, present, and future stacked against them, this modern-day Romeo and Juliet must risk everything for love—or lose it all.

This compelling romance with vulnerable characters is a prequel to Kindle Scout winner Alexi Lawless’ Complicated Creatures Series.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Melophobia by James Morris

Imagine a world with no music. Really, try a little harder. Hear that silence? No romantic wedding music. No tender lullabies. No songs of heartbreak and cheating. No energizing rock ’n roll. In this fictional dystopian world, what passes for music is more watered down than Muzak.

Now imagine a young woman at a crossroads. Merrin works at Patrol, the organization dedicated to stamping out the last remnant of people who listen to real, albeit illegal, music. Merrin has made a name for herself in her field, but the more undercover work she does, the more questions she has.

If you can imagine all that, you’ll have the opening for Kindle Scout winner James Morris’ Melophobia. This book struck all the right notes with me. It provoked a visceral reaction and made me appreciate music even more. While this is one dystopian world I hope never comes to fruition, my eyes were opened to how integral music is to the fabric of our lives.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Awoken by Sarah Noffke

Roya is a dream traveler, an odd duck in a family full of swans. Lately her dreams have been violent and scary, with the edgy feeling that someone is watching her. Neighbors Bob and Steve tell Roya of someone who can help, a Lucidite named Shuman.

According to Shuman, Roya is on the Challenger list. She’s the one who can save all dreamers, but to get Shuman’s help, she has to travel to the Institute. Trouble is to get there she must nearly drown herself. Worse, the challenge against Zhuang is rapidly approaching so there’s no time to dither.

Roya arrives and finds she’s one of many challengers. To become The Challenger, she must outscore her peers. A loner, Roya feels even more out of place, but despite her efforts to keep to herself, she makes a few friends and allies. As she learns the depths of dream traveling and her opponent, she discovers Zhuang has stacked the odds in his favor. Roya doesn’t know who to trust and who is the enemy.

Thought provoking and entertaining, Awoken was a universal study of good versus evil with a coming of age perspective. I enjoyed seeing Roya awaken and realize her full potential.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: The Familiar by Jill Nojack

Jill Nojack’s paranormal romantic comedy went down as easy as my favorite dessert. I needed to know what happened next but I was sure sorry to see it end. Tom’s sad plight and Cassie’s discovery of her true heritage made for a page turning read.

Tom, a man enslaved as a powerful witch’s cat, yearns for his freedom. As the decades pass, he realizes his captor will never let him go. Hope is strong medicine though, and he won’t give up, using up many of his nine lives along the way.

When the witch dies, her granddaughter, Cassie, inherits the entire estate, including the magic shop. Unaware of her grandmother’s hidden talents, Cassie learns there’s a whole lot more to her relative than she ever knew.

Tom and Cassie inherit each other, two lonely souls in search of love and compassion. Delightful confusion ensues as Tom tries to leave messages for Cassie containing his release words. Unless he is allowed to transform back into a man soon, he will forever be Cat. Cassie, it seems, has inherited much more than her grandmother’s possessions.

I enjoyed the miscues between this pair. Nojack expertly wove the paranormal and humor threads, darkening with a mystery subplot and sexual tension. If stories about witches are your thing, you won’t want to miss this charmer.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews