Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Operation Zulu Redemption: Collateral Damage - Part 1 by Ronie Kendig






Operation Zulu Redemption: Collateral Damage - Part 1 
by Ronie Kendig

Synopsis - They want answers. They want redemption. And they want to live.   Five years ago, six soldiers made American military history as the first all-female Special Forces team, named Zulu. A tragic mistake in Misrata, Libya, leaves twenty-two innocents dead and Zulu fleeing for their lives. Now Jessica Herring and Candice Reyna are dead at the hand of an assassin, and Keeley Shay clings to life in a hospital. The last three Zulu members are forced into a fight for answers, for redemption, and for their very lives.  Annie Palermo and Téya Reiker had settled into their hidden identities when their lives are upended and their loved ones attacked. Annie’s flame, Samuel Caliguari, is a former Navy SEAL who can hold his own, but the attack leaves Annie livid—and fleeing once again. When Téya’s Amish loved ones are threatened, she must also hide. But how can she notgo back and protect these peace-loving people, no matter the risk?  Nuala King never really settled after Misrata, and she can’t shake the horror of the disastrous mission, the lives lost, or the terrible nightmares that still haunt her.  Lieutenant Colonel Trace Weston and his right-hand man, Chief Warrant Officer Boone Ramage, struggle to hold the Zulu remnant together. They must track down who hit the team and deliver justice to the enemy—if Sam Caliguari and relentless Army intelligence analyst Lieutenant Francesca Solomon don’t get them all killed first. . . .


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My Review


This serialization project is one of Kendig’s finest works!By the end of Collateral Damage, my heart rate was up and I could feel the anxiety building that surely these women would feel. They are brave and smart and vulnerable, not only in their current life threatening situation but also with the men in their lives. My curiosity is piqued and I am waiting with bated breath for the next installment. Thankfully, the wait isn't a long one. I know I am going to be shocked by who the ‘bad guy’ is, if it’s even a guy at all. At this point, I have no idea! The thrilling suspense really is an addictive adrenaline rush.

I was provided a copy from the publisher for review purposes. I am under no obligation to write a positive review, just my honest opinion of the book. No compensation has been received.


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Start the mission with Operation Zulu Redemption: The Beginning and don't miss any of these extended 240 page episodes....

Available Now -- Operation Zulu Redemption: Collateral Damage -- Part 1

Available Now -- Operation Zulu Redemption: Out of Nowhere -- Part 2


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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A secluded spot


My daddy's backyard has a cozy little wooden patio with this lovely white wrought iron table and chairs. I bought the Sunflowers at the grocery store just so I could take some pictures out here. Regretfully, the humidity was 100% because of the rain each morning and evening, so I didn't get to sit outside and enjoy the peace and quiet. Plus, the mosquitoes are horrible!

The good news is that my daddy did great during surgery! They couldn't get any of the cancer, though, because there is so much of it lining his abdomen, and it has spread to his liver. Hopefully, in a few weeks, he will be able to start chemo. Depending on how he does, he may have 18-24 months. My sister and I had some serious and not-so-serious conversations, and just enjoyed showing him love and support. My son spent each night in the hospital with him, talking military talk and 'men' things. Daddy is a retired Navy veteran (21 yrs of service) and is so happy that my son is enlisting in the US Air Force! 

I've received such sweet comments and emails during this time. I appreciate each one of you so much! 





Sunday, July 20, 2014

Sunday Morning Breakfast on the Beach

~ Psalm 8:1 ~
Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!




My dad is in the hospital and has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. He will have surgery (we hope) on Wednesday to try and remove some of the tumor. If it isn't possible to remove any of the tumor, he will have a stint bypass put in. He is in a weakened condition because he hasn't been able to eat solid food in almost seven weeks, and has been on liquid nutrition only. His prognosis, if he survives surgery, is at most 18-24 months and that is if his health was in top condition. 

In order to give his wife a break, I've been sitting with him during the day and my son is staying with him at night. This morning we took a break after being here five days and went down to the beach to see the sunrise. It was magnificent! 




We enjoyed our coffee and donuts, listening to the seagulls, watching some early morning fishermen, runners, joggers and surfers. It's like a different world down here...




Raw and powerful and peaceful. 

Until next time...




Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Put a Tic Tac® on the counter...


and get a photo for the challenge. 

Oh wait. That's not how the diddy goes. 

But if you know how it goes, I bet you're singing it in your 

head now. Go ahead. Sing it out loud :)



I thought it would be easy to find something to photograph 

but I looked all week and saw...nothing.

I knew if I waited long enough inspiration would eventually strike.


image credit




Finally, while standing in line at the grocery store, I saw a

package of Tic Tac® fruity mints and knew I had found my 'Trio'.

They're bright and colorful and fun looking.


Actually photographing them...not so easy.

I have white tile countertops that I thought would be way 

whiter than what they actually photographed. 

They came out kind of gray looking. Yuck!


After posting my photo, I got a couple of good tips from another 

challenger on how to fix that post-processing. I think I need 

to use a secondary source of light, too. Maybe a light box.


 


I'm pleased with the angle, DOF (depth of field) and reflections. 

I would have liked a little more sharpness to the image. That 

could be balancing the camera on the edge of the counter. 

I probably should have set up my tripod. 

But that's what the challenge is all about.

Learning.



Are you a photography enthusiast?

What have you learned lately?

Any tips are appreciated!






Monday, July 14, 2014

WINNER!!!





You won the Kindle edition of Jackal by Heather Gray!

I sent you an email with your Gift Certificate enclosed.

 Hope you enjoy the book :)




Saturday, July 12, 2014

{Sunday}

In John 15 Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.


You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.


“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.



“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other."


Have a blessed Sabbath!


Review ~ Operation Zulu Redemption: Overkill by Ronie Kendig

Yep. I'm double posting about books today because that's how I'm rolling this weekend. I'm trying to get caught up, and maybe even ahead of the reviewing game, in preparation for having to travel out of town next weekend. My daddy's having surgery and I need to be there. So, thanks for putting up with the influx that will be coming on :)


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Operation Zulu Redemption: Overkill - The Beginning 

[Kindle Edition]


Synopsis - They never should’ve existed.  Now they don’t.  In the aftermath of their first highly successful op, the first all-female special ops team, known as Zulu, discovered that innocent civilians—women and children—died at their hands. Zulu was set up to take the devastating fall. Fearing for their lives, the Zulu team vanished. With new identities and spread across the globe, they live in relative but isolated peace—yet still haunted by the past. Terrified of being discovered. Five years after that horrific night, they’ve begun to hope they might be safe and the tragedy forgotten. Until two of them are murdered.

Start the mission on July 4th with Operation Zulu Redemption: Overkill--The Beginning. This FREE episode drops you into the rapid-fire action where the women of Zulu are trying to figure out who is targeting them.  
Who really set Zulu up to take the fall years ago?  Are they one and the same? Now the remaining members of Zulu have no choice but to regroup and stop their enemy--before it's too late. And Overkill is just the beginning...     


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My Review

Oh man! When I first heard that my favorite Christian Military Suspense writer was going to write about an all female special operations  team, I wasn’t sure it was going to be as good as her other books. I mean,  when I think spec –ops, I think males. Big, brave, burly men. But let me tell you, Overkill blew me away. What a phenomenal start to this serialization. I was biting my nails (okay, not literally but figuratively) while reading this story. There are no punches pulled. It’s a hard core, emotionally driven, edge of your seat thrill ride. I’m hanging on for dear life because I have no idea where it will end up but I know it’s going to be like drinking a tall glass of Mint Iced Tea for this southern girl; satisfying to the last drop, er… page. :)


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The next installment comes out on July 18th...can't wait!!!

The best part is that Overkill - The Beginning is FREE on Kindle.

Click here to purchase.


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GIVEAWAY and REVIEW ~ Jackal (Regency Refuge Book 2) by Heather Gray


UPDATE: Giveaway has ended!

I participated in the FIRST Wild Card Tour for this book on Wednesday but I promised the author I would make another blog post with my review as soon as I finished the book.

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About the Book

Hiding in the shadows just got harder.

When tragedy strikes, Juliana and her family must flee their home. Can they persuade a virtual stranger to help them? Juliana isn't so sure, especially after their chaperone threatens to cane him. Even as Juliana struggles to trust him, she finds herself drawn to this mysterious man. Surely all she wants from him is refuge…

Rupert is a man whose life depends on his ability to remain unnoticed. What, then, is he supposed to do with this family he's inherited?  His life is overrun with an ancient chaperone who would terrify a lesser man, two spirited girls, and the secretive Juliana – someone he comes to think of as his own precious jewel.

With this new responsibility thrust upon him, Rupert will have to make sacrifices – but will God ask him to sacrifice everything?

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My Review

Oh my! Jackal has all the ingredients for the perfect Regency; romance, exciting drama and plenty of suspense.  I couldn’t put the book down. Seriously. I sat there tapping my Kindle as fast I could. Thankfully, it’s an easy read at about 200 pages.

Jackal is a clean Christian book (YAY!!!) with a genuine and believable faith theme that isn’t overwhelming. Anyone who enjoys Regency novels will probably like this one.  I know I did and look forward to the next in the series. I do recommend reading the first book, His Saving Grace, as we get a nice glimpse into what’s happening with Thomas and Grace from that story.  

I would like to thank author Heather Gray for sending me an electronic copy of the book for review purposes. My honest opinion is all that was required. No monetary compensation has been received.

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Giveaway

I want to gift a Kindle copy to one of my blog followers. 

Since it's an eBook (electronic copy) that means anyone can enter to win!

But it's only open to followers of Stuff & Nonsense. 

Leave me a comment letting me know how you follow, 

GFC, Email  or Bloglovin', in order to be entered. 

All of those options are in the right-hand sidebar >>>

Don't forget...

Leave your email address, too! 

Ends Sunday, July 13th at midnight. 

Winner will be notified Monday.


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Have a blessed day in the Lord!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

First Wild Card Tour ~ Jackal by Heather Gray

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!




You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:


Heather Gray


and the book:


Jackal
Astraea Press Publishing

***Special thanks to Heather Gray for sending me a review copy.***


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aside from her long-standing love affair with coffee, Heather’s greatest joys in life are her relationship with her Savior, her family, and writing.  Years ago, she decided it would be better to laugh than yell.  Heather carries that theme over into her writing where she strives to create characters that experience both the highs and lows of life and, through it all, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her.

Visit the author's website.




SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Hiding in the shadows just got harder. 

When tragedy strikes, Juliana and her family must flee their home. Can they persuade a virtual stranger to help them? Juliana isn't so sure, especially after their chaperone threatens to cane him. Even as Juliana struggles to trust him, she finds herself drawn to this mysterious man. Surely all she wants from him is refuge… 

Rupert is a man whose life depends on his ability to remain unnoticed. What, then, is he supposed to do with this family he's inherited? His life is overrun with an ancient chaperone who would terrify a lesser man, two spirited girls, and the secretive Juliana – someone he comes to think of as his own precious jewel. 

With this new responsibility thrust upon him, Rupert will have to make sacrifices – but will God ask him to sacrifice everything? 





Product Details:

List Price: $.99


File Size: 451 KB


Publisher: Astraea Press Publishing (June 16, 2014)


Language: English 


Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.  

ASIN:  B00L2DW7D2




AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


Prologue

1810

A duke had been cut down in the prime of his life. According to the War Department, The Hunter was to blame.

Jackal had been put onto The Hunter's scent and told to ferret him out at all cost. It was his job, his duty to the crown, and he treated it with the seriousness it demanded. Evil could not be allowed to go unpunished, and people who took pleasure in destroying the lives of others would not walk away with impunity, not on his watch.

Jackal met with his contacts in the Austrian government and found no gratification in revealing they had a traitor in their midst. It had been a necessary move, and now the problem would be dealt with. The Austrians would put The Hunter down, and England's hands would remain clean of the mess, exactly as the minister wanted.

Grim foreboding furrowed his brow as he left the meeting with the Austrians. His lack of evidence mocked him. He'd done as ordered, and they'd believed him, but had it been his choice, he'd have gathered more proof first.

Jackal climbed into his carriage and slapped his hand against the roof, signaling the driver with his readiness to depart. A lengthy ride awaited him. He would leave the carriage and his current identity behind in Munich once he arrived there. New papers and fresh horses were waiting for him. The same would happen again when he crossed over into Stuttgart, and then again in Brussels. His task was clear: remain alive long enough to claim each of the new identities and return safely to his homeland.

Sitting back on the roughly cushioned seat, he accepted what he'd begun to suspect. This would be his last assignment for the crown. He was getting too old for the job. The time to retire was upon him. The younger bucks were willing – if not entirely ready – to take their place among the ranks of the unseen, unknown, and unnamed heroes of war. Jackal shook his head. Not too long ago, he'd been one of those young bucks. Ready for retirement at age thirty-two? The thought would be laughable in any other career. In his line of work, though, only those who retired young lived to be old and grey.

Lost in melancholy, Jackal barely noted the change from the raucous noise of a bustling merchant district to the quiet pastoral sounds that would accompany him on most of this journey. Europe was a large land with rich cities interspersed with vast emptiness dotted with small hamlets. Traveling by carriage would take weeks, but as long as he could report back that he'd done as ordered, it would be worth the time.

He settled into his seat. They were still days from their first sanctioned stop. As always, the best defense was to keep moving.

****

A change in the carriage's soothing methodical movement woke Jackal from his doze and alerted him that something was amiss. Awareness coursed through his veins, pushing away the remnant of sleep. A quick glance at the curtained window told him it was late morning. They'd ridden through the night to put as much distance as possible between them and Vienna – the current hub of Austrian government.

The carriage was moving with a wildness he'd felt only one other time in his life. Dread snaked through his middle as he accepted the truth. There was no longer a driver in control of his conveyance. Jackal crouched low on the floor for balance as he prepared to throw open the door and jump. Perhaps he should have sought retirement one assignment sooner.

Before his hand could touch the door, a jarring force threw Jackal against the seat to his left, shooting pain up his arm. They'd been boarded, then, and his driver – an agent he'd worked with for years – had likely not been alive to sound the alarm. Emotion would come later. For now, Jackal needed to focus on one thing: Survival.

The carriage gained speed under the skillful hand of whoever now sat in the driver's seat. I should have jumped when I had the chance. Jackal shook his head as he calculated the odds of survival should he jump now, at the carriage's current speed.

Palming his gun, he pounded on the roof of the carriage, commanding the driver to stop. Surprise flared to life as his conveyance did indeed come to a standstill. Rather than slow to a gentle stop, the carriage halted its forward momentum in a skidding bone-shaking fashion. It was the kind of stop that guaranteed no beast would be able to walk away from it afterward.

Jackal jumped before the dust could settle. His best chance would be to go on the offence and catch the driver off-guard. Though he'd assumed the driver had a partner, nothing could have prepared him for the vicious attack awaiting him on the other side of the door.

Jackal no sooner touched the ground than he was trampled under the anxious feet of a high-stepping horse. He'd not even had a chance to gain his footing. As he lay on the ground, Jackal both heard and felt the breaking of bone in his left leg. A couple of his ribs surrendered to the heavy hooves as well. Rolling onto his side, he took aim at the perpetrator. The sun blinded him, and he could distinguish no features on the man whose gun dared him to move. In the split second it took for him to reassure himself he was not aiming at an innocent bystander – for they were indeed in one of the numerous modest hamlets that dotted the continent's countryside – the rider pulled the trigger, and pain seared through Jackal's already throbbing leg. It felt as if the lead had burrowed its way into his very bone.

He pulled the trigger of his flintlock pistol, and the man on the horse recoiled. Even as Jackal reached for the gun concealed at the ankle of his wounded leg, he knew it was futile. The rider had a second gun in-hand before his own fingers even brushed against the grip of his hidden weapon. Pain tore through his shoulder, immobilizing his shooting arm. Another ball of lead ripped into his middle. He felt his blood seeping out onto the street.

Accepting his fate, he asked only one thing. "At whose hand am I to die this day?"

Laughter vile enough to sour port met his question. "Today the Jackal shall meet his end at the hands of The Hunter."

The Hunter? The Austrians were supposed to have him by now.

"Your plan failed, and I am free. Prepare to die."

Blackness closing in around him, Jackal released the last thought held captive in his mind.

Why God?

Cold claimed his body as he slipped into darkness. He neither heard nor felt the next shot.


Chapter One

December 27, 1816

Neither you nor your secrets are safe. You must go into hiding.

Rupert rubbed his eyes and stared at the numbers in the ledger. It had been years, but the words still haunted him, sneaking up into his subconscious and demanding his attention at the most inconvenient times.

He had no desire to return to his previous career, but the staid life of a steward at a mostly abandoned estate did get dull after a while. No craving for life-and-death situations burned through his veins as it once had, but nonetheless, he did sometimes yearn for a bit more excitement than his current situation offered. Somewhere along the way, the highlight of his week had become lunch with the vicar.

Closing the ledger, Rupert rubbed his eyes again. Perhaps a walk was in order. Some brisk Northumberland air ought to be just the thing to clear the cobwebs away and brighten his outlook. Picking up his cane, Rupert headed for the study's door.

As he stepped out into the foyer, he glanced around. There was no evergreen or holly adorning the banister. No ivy to mark the doorways, and no mistletoe placed with the greatest of stratagem. With only himself and a small staff in residence, there had again been no reason to decorate for Christmas. That day, and Boxing Day too, had passed with little fanfare at Castle Felton.

Straightening his shoulders, he took a step toward the door. Mrs. Pembroke's voice, however, stalled him. "Mr. Rupert, Mr. Rupert! A carriage approaches. Were the duke and duchess due for a visit? Wouldn't they have sent word?"

Mrs. Pembroke tended to be the excitable sort, but she'd never before invented guests or fabricated carriages. Rupert moved further into the front hall and prepared to open the door for their visitors. He spied the horse-drawn transport through a window, and dread dropped into his stomach like a white-hot stone.

He recognized the crest on its door, and it in no way belonged to the duke.

Opening Castle Felton's front door, Rupert observed the scene before him. A woman spilled out of the carriage. No, not a woman. A girl. She couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen. Then another girl, this one with a four-inch height advantage. An even taller girl joined the first two. Rather than gawk at the castle the way the first two were, this one pivoted back and held out a hand. With her assistance, another person materialized. This one was most definitely not a girl. She was so old Rupert stared with momentary wonder. Was it possible for an individual to survive mummification? Could skin be that dry and sunken on a living thing?

After the old woman was steady on her feet, the girl who had helped her circled around as though to confront the castle. She walked toward the steps, glanced up, and her eyes met Rupert's. Recognition flickered at the edge of his thoughts, followed by the realization that he was grossly mistaken to have classified her as a girl when she'd emerged from the carriage. He never forgot a face, but this one… this face had looked vastly different when he'd last seen it. It had been at a funeral, and she'd been much younger, not to mention in shock. While he remembered her, he didn't expect the same in return.

"Hello, kind sir." Her voice was melodic and genteel. "We are seeking a man by the name of Rupert. Perchance, could you assist us? We were told he lives here."

"What do you want with him?" He knew he sounded pompous, but the quicker these ladies climbed back into the carriage and went on their merry way, the better it would be for all of them.

"We seek refuge. We have been traveling for several days."

"This is not a cathedral. You will find no refuge here. It's time you moved on."

Plunking her fisted hands onto her hips, the spirited beauty demanded, "You're him, aren't you? You're Rupert. You can't turn us away, you know."

"I am under no obligation to house visitors at Castle Felton." Her eyes burned in response, and he could almost hear his flesh sizzling from the heated onslaught of her gaze.

"This is our home. We live here now. With you." Turning to the other women in her party, she said, "Go ahead. Everyone go in and find your rooms." Then she spun to the driver, either completely in charge or putting on a show of bravado for Rupert's sake. "Get a footman to help you with the trunks." The entire entourage snapped to attention and began scurrying to do as they'd been commanded.

"Enough!" Rupert's bark froze everyone where they stood. One sister was partway up the stairs. Another had one foot on the bottom step and one still on the ground. The mummified woman had begun the laborious process of moving her skeletal being with the aid of a rosewood cane.
The oldest of the non-mummified women stared at him. "You can't turn us away. You're our guardian now, and we have nowhere else to go."

Glancing from her to the younger girls, he felt his resolve weakening. Hadn't he moments ago been melancholy about how uneventful his life had become? He gave a brisk nod. "You may stay the night so you can explain to me whatever plight has brought you here."

He saw triumph flare to life in her eyes.

"But you must leave on the morrow."

Her triumph faded, and the bleak barren landscape of hopelessness took up residence in its place. It pained him to be the one to snuff out the joy that had momentarily softened her features.

There was no help for it, though.

They had to leave Castle Felton, and the sooner the better.