#tbt – Page 5 – Rosepoint Publishing

#ThrowbackThursday – Situation Room (A Luke Stone Thriller Book 3) by Jack Mars

Hello my good and faithful readers! I’m getting this out while it’s still Thursday–my projects definitely messed with my schedule this week and I’m falling behind–again! I’ve reached back into my Goodreads reviews–this one from Jan of 2017.

Renee began the #ThrowbackThursday meme on her blog, “It’s Book Talk“ to share some of her old favorites as well as sharing books published over a year ago. I’ve gathered up some old reads and reviews from Goodreads to share with you–a good book never gets old. Hopefully, you’ll find either a story or author that interests you and you’ll check them out. And, if you’d like to join the fun, you’re welcome to use Renee’s pic from her website. Just provide the link back to her please).

This week I am highlighting Jack Mars, another terrific, prolific author who wrote Situation Room, which I reviewed on Goodreads. This novel was released on June 27, 2016. It is classified as a mystery series, political thriller, and terrorism thriller. At 300 pages a fast and fun read. Mars released Agent Zero (book 1) of his new Agent Zero series on June 28, 2019.

ISBN: 163291607X
ASIN: B01D0QYPC4

Book Blurb:

A cyberattack on an obscure U.S. dam leaves thousands dead and the government wondering who attacked it, and why. When they realize it is just the tip of the iceberg—and that the safety of all of America is at stake—the President has no choice but to call in Luke Stone.

Head of an elite, disbanded FBI team, Luke does not want the job. But with new enemies—foreign and domestic—closing in on her from all sides, the President can only trust him. What follows is an action-packed international roller-coaster, as Luke learns that the terrorists are more sophisticated than anyone realizes, that the target is more extensive than anyone could image—and that there is very little time left to save America.

A political thriller with non-stop action, dramatic international settings, unexpected twists and heart-pounding suspense, SITUATION ROOM is book #3 in the Luke Stone series, an explosive new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

My Review:

Luke Stone, the protagonist in this para-military thriller is divided between his perceived ability to save the current situation and that of his family. He is separated from his wife, but would dearly love to spend more time with his son, Gunner, possibly save his marriage. Still, following a call from the newly installed first female president of the US, who is still sifting through the good ole boys in the “Situation Room” of the interim White House, he is back in the thick of the action. The good ole boys would prefer “just a woman” be out of there, but she is steadfastly sorting her loyal following–beginning with special project renegade Luke.

Dastardly events are befalling easily compromised areas of the US all pointing to terrorist conspiracies messing with outdated electronic infrastructure. After Luke reassembles his team, he begins all all-out effort to discern the end bad guy and the timeline under which they are operating. No problem–he can pull out all the stops.

The plot moves along with a good rate of speed; no time to beat dead horses here. Though this is designated the 3rd in the Luke Stone Thriller Series, characters are fleshed out well enough not to require back-reading and can work well as a standalone. Stone continues to carry forth some humanity and mourns his losses.

The president manages to grow stronger and wields sufficient savvy in the political arena to fully seat her power position. There are several edit misses, but once again, would rightly deserve a 4.5 star rating.

I downloaded this free book from BookBub–and it was absolutely a winner– highly recommended. Mars writes some riveting political thrillers. Are you a fan?

About the Author: Jack Mars is the USA Today bestselling author of the LUKE STONE thriller series, which includes seven books. He is also the author of the new FORGING OF LUKE STONE prequel series, and of the AGENT ZERO spy thriller series.

ANY MEANS NECESSARY (book #1), which has over 800 five star reviews, is available as a free download on Amazon!

Jack loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit http://www.Jackmarsauthor.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

More Throwback Thursday Blogs

Renee at Its Book Talk
Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe
Rebecca at The Book Whisperer
Lynne at Fictionophile
Sam at Clues and Reviews
Holly B at Dressedtoread
Deanna at DeesRadReads and Reviews
Amanda at Literary Weaponry
Annie at The Misstery
Mischenko at Read Rant Rock and Roll
Laurie at Cozy Nook Books
Ann Marie at LItWitWineDine
Susan at Susan Loves Books
Cathy at What Cathy Read Next
Cathy at Between the Lines
Amy at Novel Gossip
Diana at A Haven for Booklovers

#ThrowbackThursday – Breakthrough by Michael C Grumley

#ThrowbackThursday - Christmas time

Renee began the #ThrowbackThursday meme on her blog, “It’s Book Talk“ to share some of her old favorites as well as sharing books published over a year ago. Hopefully, you’ll find either a story or author that interests you and you’ll check them out. And, if you’d like to join the fun, you’re welcome to use Renee’s pic from her website. Just provide the link back to her please).

This week I am highlighting Michael C Grumley, another terrific, prolific author who wrote Breakthrough, which I reviewed on Goodreads. This novel was published on March 6, 2013 and has more than 8,000 reviews on Amazon labeled technothriller-sci-fi, action and adventure, conspiracies. This is book #1 in the series, now numbering four.

Originally posted July 27, 2016

Book Blurb:

ONE OF THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY. A SECRET THAT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE FOUND. AND A CRISIS THAT CANNOT BE STOPPED.

Deep in the Caribbean Sea, a nuclear submarine is forced to suddenly abort its mission under mysterious circumstances. Strange facts begin to emerge that lead naval investigator, John Clay, to a small group of marine biologists who are quietly on the verge of making history.

With the help of a powerful computer system, Alison Shaw and her team are preparing to translate the first two-way conversation with the planet’s second smartest species. But the team discovers much more from their dolphins than they ever expected when a secret object is revealed on the ocean floor. One that was never supposed to be found.

Alison was sure she would never trust the military again. However, when an unknown group immediately becomes interested in her work, Alison realizes John Clay may be the only person she can trust. Together they must piece together a dangerous puzzle, and the most frightening piece, is the trembling in Antarctica.

To make matters worse, someone from the inside is trying to stop them. Now time is running out…and our understanding of the world is about to change forever.

My Review:

Love it when I come across a plot that you haven’t read 80 times before. “Breakthrough” by Michael C. Grumley gives us a new one, I believe. There are multi-concepts here (mash in military, tsunamis, and aliens), and they lead to a pretty suspenseful tale that moves along pretty well in this fast-paced book. Throw in one of the planet’s smartest animals (dolphins), add a LOT of sci-fi, some real technology and juxtapose some wild imagination. So you’ll have to push past some disbelief, but this is a sci-fi begging fantasy, right? So just enjoy the ride into entertainment and let your mind veg.

The characters in each scenario work pretty well and for the most part are pretty believable. How well they interact with the characters from the opposing scenarios create the tension or clash and explode (literally) into the climax. One you can’t imagine could have a good ending.

Most reviews (and the blurb) covered the plotline, so I’ll just mention that I enjoyed the dolphins albeit small portion of the plot. What bothered me most towards the climax was the transitions (or complete lack thereof) from one scene to another, the abrupt ending, and the seemingly impossible survival of several of the main characters (there was just no way). Still, a noble debut effort and fun fantasy. A free download from BookBub and appreciated the opportunity for the read and review. Recommended for light-hearted sci-fi fantasy fans.

About the Author: For years, Michael Grumley dreamed of writing thrillers the way he thought they should be written; complex, multi-genre stories with unique plots that ‘move’. Enter BREAKTHROUGH, AMID THE SHADOWS, and THROUGH THE FOG: all deeply human stories with endings you will never see coming.

Michael C. Grumley lives in Northern California with his wife and two young daughters where he works in the Information Technology field. He’s an avid reader, runner and most of all father. He dotes on his girls every chance he gets. His website is http://www.michaelgrumley.com and his email address is michael@michaelgrumley.com ASIN: B00BVFM04C

More Throwback Thursday Blogs

Renee at Its Book Talk

Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe

Rebecca at The Book Whisperer

Lynne at Fictionophile

Sam at Clues and Reviews

Holly B at Dressedtoread

Deanna at DeesRadReads and Reviews

Amanda at Literary Weaponry

Annie at The Misstery

Mischenko at Read Rant Rock and Roll

Laurie at Cozy Nook Books

Ann Marie at LItWitWineDine

Susan at Susan Loves Books

Cathy at What Cathy Read Next

Cathy at Between the Lines

Amy at Novel Gossip

Diana at A Haven for Booklovers

Check out the other #ThrowbackThursday bloggers and see what they are highlighting today! Did you read Breakthrough? Agree with my review?

#ThrowbackThursday – The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan

The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan

This week I am highlighting JC Ryan, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The 10th Cycle: A Thriller. This novel was published on July 22, 2014 and is the first of seven in the Rossler Foundation Mystery series of technothrillers. He has written other series as well as standalones. He consistently runs approximately 4+ stars for any of his books sold on Amazon.

This book was recently downloaded as a freebie from BookBub and read by associate reviewer, the C E. It is his review that follows.

Book Blurb:

The truth about human history is about to be revealed. . . But will we be allowed to know it?

For thousands of years the truth about human history has intentionally been suppressed and exploited.

For decades scholars have been saying that the truth about human history will be found inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, but up till now no one has ever been able to find it. Those who tried have been ridiculed and persecuted.

Will Daniel Rossler and Dr. Sarah Clarke be allowed to uncover the real and true message? As they come closer to the truth, skepticism out of the academic community is replaced by evil and malicious adversaries, dumping them into a very hostile world where violence, deceit and duplicity become their daily companions. The mysterious Orion Society with its deranged and psychopathic members, the CIA, the Marines, the Mossad and even the President of the United States become involved. Not all of them have good intentions.

THE TENTH CYCLE is a full-length novel, a provocative technothriller about human history, conspiracies and an ancient society with power and money that will stop at nothing to reach their sinister goals.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan”

#ThrowbackThursday – Deer Season (Ray Elkins Thriller series) by Aaron Standler

#ThrowbackThursday-Deer Season

This week I am highlighting Aaron Standler, another prolific author who wrote Deer Season #3 in his Ray Elkins Thriller series. (He has written other series as well.) This novel was published by Writers and Editors LLC on July 1, 2009. He consistently runs approximately 3.5-4 stars for any of his books sold on Amazon.

I posted a review of Shelf Ice by this author in January 2014. Shelf Ice is #4 in the series. See that review here. That was back when I was gleaning free books from BookBub and also downloaded Deer Season as my hubby was a hunter and thought he’d enjoy. Apparently, the author has written nine in the series. The C.E. read this book and his review follows. Winter is knocking on our doors, changing the direction of the wind, and the smell of dry leaves permeate the air perhaps earlier in Michigan and parts of the north than the midwest and sunny south and west. Are you ready for some cooler temps?

Book Blurb:

It’s late November along the shores of northern Lake Michigan. Deer season has been open for a few days and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. A local TV anchorwomen is returning home from an early morning yoga class with her young twin daughters. She stops at the end of her drive and climbs out of her car to collect the mail from the box. As she turns back toward her vehicle, the bullet from a high caliber weapon tears through her chest. In this third book in this series, Sheriff Ray Elkins confronts both the dark history of his own department and powerful and wealthy adversaries who try to control the direction and reach of his investigation.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – Deer Season (Ray Elkins Thriller series) by Aaron Standler”

#ThrowbackThursday – The Hawks of Kamalon by Michael Reisig

Throwback Thursday-The Hawks of Kamalon

This week I am highlighting Michael Reisig, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The Hawks of Kamalon, which I reviewed on Goodreads. He has actually written a number of amazing books and series, many of which I’ve already alluded to on this blog, either introducing a new Key West series novel, a Caribbean Gold series novel, or another Throwback Thursday offering. This novel was published by Write Way Publishing on December 16, 2013. He consistently runs approximately 4.5 stars for any of his books sold on Amazon. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading one of his action-adventures, you owe it to yourself to check them out!

Originally posted February 20, 2015

Book Blurb:

The Hawks of Kamalon is an amalgam of gripping science fiction and wonderful storytelling, with imagery that becomes more believable with each page. A Number One Nation-Wide Best-Selling Book for Books In Motion Audio Books!
A small squadron of British and American aircraft depart at dawn on a long-range strike into Germany, but as they cross the English Channel, the squadron vanishes.

Drawn thousands of light-years across the galaxy by Kamalon’s “Sensitive Mothers,” ten men and eight aircraft are greeted by a roaring crowd in a field before the provincial capitol, on the continent of Azra; a land in desperate need of champions.

Captain Ross Murdock and the ’51 Squadron are cast into a whirlwind adventure of intrigue, treachery, and romance as they are “culled” back and forth across the universe, outwitting and outrunning the Germans, while they attempt to foil the invasion of Azra by the neighboring continent of Krete.

The Hawks of Kamalon is a heart-hammering adventure in the classic tradition of Robert Heinlein, but it also examines the parameters of faith and friendship, the qualities that define civilization, and the width and depth of spirit.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – The Hawks of Kamalon by Michael Reisig”

#ThrowbackThursday – The Dying Hour by Rick Mofina – a #BookReview

#ThrowbackThursday - The Dying Hour by Rick Mofina

This week I am highlighting Rick Mofina, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The Dying Hour. Today’s review is written by the C.E., my intrepid associate reviewer. I love that he is usually up for a variety of genre and this one took him by surprise. Yeah, knew it would! 😏 (This was his first Mofina.) I’ve read several before and last posted a review of Cold Fear for Throwback Thursday on February 8, 2018. This novel was published by Carrick Publishing on April 8, 2015. Mofina consistently runs approximately 4.5-5 stars for any of his books sold on Amazon.

Book Blurb:

The Dying Hour introduces Jason Wade, a rookie crime reporter with The Seattle Mirror, a loner who grew up in the shadow of a brewery in one of the city’s blue-collar neighborhoods. At The Seattle Mirror, he is competing for the single full-time job being offered through the paper’s intense intern program. But unlike the program’s other young reporters, who attended big name schools and worked at other big metro dailies, Wade put himself through community college, and lacked the same experience.

Wade struggles with his haunting past as he pursues the story of Karen Harding, a college student whose car was found abandoned on a lonely stretch of highway in the Pacific Northwest. How could this beloved young woman with the altruistic nature simply vanish?

Wade battles mounting odds and cut-throat competition to unearth the truth behind Karen Harding’s disturbing case. Her disappearance is a story he cannot give up, never realizing the toll it could exact from him. The Dying Hour is a bone-chilling, mesmerizing page-turner that introduces readers to an all-too-human young hero who journeys into the darkest regions of the human heart to confront a nightmare.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – The Dying Hour by Rick Mofina – a #BookReview”

#ThrowbackThursday – A View to Die For by Richard Houston

Throwback Thursday - featuring A View to DIE For

This week I am highlighting Richard Houston, another terrific, prolific author who wrote A View to Die For, #1 in the series, which I reviewed on Goodreads. He has actually written a number of books in the Books To Die For series. I also read #2, A Book to Die For (also downloaded from BookBub). If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, you know I’m a sucker for dog pics or doggy stories. Read this for the dog, Fred. (I hoped he lived more than two books. To see why, read the review that follows.) This novel was published on October 8, 2012. Houston consistently runs approximately four stars for any of his books sold on Amazon. Just look at that face!

Originally posted May 29, 2014

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – A View to Die For by Richard Houston”

#ThrowbackThursday – The Emperor’s Treasure by Daniel Leston

Throwback Thursday - The Emperor's Treasure

This week I am highlighting Daniel Leston, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The Emperor’s Treasure, which I reviewed on Goodreads. This novel was published on October 27, 2013. He consistently runs approximately four stars for any of his books sold on Amazon.

Originally posted October 1, 2016

Book Blurb:

Upon returning to New England after a long hiatus overseas, Prof. David Manning quickly finds himself involved in yet another extraordinary archaeological adventure—one 500 years in the making. Drawn into an investigation of a mysterious and brutal murder in the desert country of West Texas, his determined effort to find the perpetrators sets him on the hunt for a lost Aztec treasure beyond all imagining.
Both are inextricably entwined.
Pitted against a ruthless, multi-millionaire descendant of one of the original conquistadors—a man who will stop at nothing to gain the prize—Manning finds himself contending at every turn with an array of cold-blooded killers, all equally unwavering in their desire to see him dead.
*3rd Adventure of Professor David Manning

My Review:

I tend to be a sucker for stories involving the Aztecs or Mayans, fascinating cultures, and sure–we hear the legends about the outrageous riches.

In this clever plot, the treasure is whisked away before the Spanish conquistadors can complete their siege. The flashbacks to the young map maker give us a refreshing peek into the scenario explaining how the current circumstances have evolved. Unfortunately for a young archeological student bent on following his (native) sweetheart’s ancient map, he gets a little too close. Following his brutal murder, his extremely wealthy grandparents enlist the aid of longtime friend and pseudo-son, Prof. David Manning, who promises to look into a death summarily dismissed by the local (crooked) sheriff as a drug deal gone bad.

Prof. Manning proves to be a pit bull, not only in his dogged effort at digging out the truth, but then setting up the dog fight that ends in the rescue of the young man’s lover as well as the recovery of riches. Manning enjoys the help of the interim deputy after the death of the sheriff as the bad guys will stop at nothing to cover their tracks and protect their cache.

I thought the story flowed well enough to keep my attention and turning pages. The deputy was fleshed out well and very empathetic; less so Manning. Dialogue was fairly believable though the language began slipping later into the book making it necessary to step over the ca-ca. The book contains typos and other edit problems and is in need of a better editor, but if you can overlook those problems, the storyline will provide some entertainment.

Received as a free BookBub offering, I enjoyed enough to recommend as a quick escapist read.

About the Author: Daniel Leston was born in Canada, yet spent the majority of his adult years living and traveling throughout the US. Though his working career was spent in the unrelated field of designing and manufacturing complex, industrial machinery, he never lost touch with his lifelong passion for both writing and the study of history, which extends all the way back to his early, student days at the University of Buffalo.

Along with his wife of 40+yrs, he currently resides in southern Ontario, where he now happily works at his chosen vocation of being a full-time author. Following up on the early success of his three ‘Action/Thriller’ novels, The Amun Chamber, The Genghis Tomb, and The Emperor’s Treasure, he just finished working on his 4th exciting adventure around their popular main character, Professor David Manning. Look for The Porus Legacy, available now. [Note: Author has now published the fifth in the series, The Ionian Paradigm (A David Manning Adventure Book 5) released May 13, 2018.]

More Throwback Thursday Blogs

Renee at Its Book Talk

Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe

Rebecca at The Book Whisperer

Lynne at Fictionophile

Sam at Clues and Reviews

Holly B at Dressedtoread

Deanna at DeesRadReads and Reviews

Amanda at Literary Weaponry

Annie at The Misstery

Mischenko at Read Rant Rock and Roll

Laurie at Cozy Nook Books