*READ MY REVIEW & ENTER TO WIN!* GATES OF MARS by McFall & Hays

GATES OF MARS

The Halo Trilogy #1

by

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

Genre: Science Fiction / Detective (hard-boiled) 
Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: June 16, 2020

Number of Pages: 336 

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IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING? 

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her. 

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.

PRAISE FOR GATES OF MARS: 

"An indelible introduction to an interplanetary saga and its sublime characters." 
—Kirkus Reviews

"The authors' imaginations again run wild, this time a science fiction/detective series looking at what our lives may hold in the not too distant future if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And they've done it with their trademark undercurrent of humor that lifts an otherwise dreary future into something resembling—do I dare say?—hope. Their best work to date. And the giraffes? You'll have to read Gates of Mars to find out. I'm already wishing they could write faster." —Renee Struthers, East Oregonian newspaper 

"With twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an other-world setting and futuristic society—along with psychological insights and connections, Gates of Mars is a riveting, unexpected story, filled with intrigue and change. Sci-fi and detective story readers alike with find Gates of Mars one of a kind, worthy of avid pursuit." —Midwest Book Review

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Howdy, y’all!  I hope all’s well with ya’ll.  Yesterday, the Govnah of the Great Republic of Texas released an Executive Order that all Texans must wear “face coverings” at all times in public.  (Rest assured that my rebellious self has been wearing a mask since day one. So calm down!)  While I know this is probably wise in the scheme of things, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s a weird thing to be thrust upon the residents of The Lone Star State. We’re an independent, rebellious lot … well those of us who have true roots here are.  Transplants from other states … not so much.  So there’s lots of tension in the air.

And that’s one of the things that connected me to some of the themes in GATES OF MARS by Kathleen McFall & Clark Hays.

I know … I know … y’all are shocked that I’m not bogging y’all down with a bunch of my usual rambling.  Well, I’m just too dadblasted excited to give y’all a run-down on some sci-fi deliciousness.  So wipe that shocked look of y’all’s faces, and listen up!

It’s no surprise, surely by now, that I lurve me some sci-fi.  I mean … it’s what I write!  So when the confounded book siren … y’all know of whom I speak … posted up the call for reviewers in the blogger group, well, I signed up lickety split for this here book.

And I’m glad I did.

The authors of this book must have some sort of pre-knowledge, or something, because there’s a feel to this book that’s timely for our current events. Are they time travelers or fortune telling writerly folks with a magic deck of sci fi Tarot cards? I know not.

All I know is, they are darn good writers.

This story begins at 10:20 A.M. on August 31, in the Year of Our Lord 2187. (I have a sneaky hunch that McFall & Hays hopped into a time machine and visited this very date. Just sayin’)

Well, I lurve me some futuristic, sci fi, time traveling, post-apocalyptic stories in which AI is reigning supreme, so tumbled right on down the rabbit hole and landed smack dab into the middle of an inquest in which an all-knowing AI system robot thingie is interviewing the main character, a man named Crucial Larsen.

That name spoke volumes to me. It whispered to me that this dude was born to do something important … something, well, crucial.  And the hook dug right on into my jib and reeled me in.

NOPE!  I ain’t telling y’all any more spoilers or hints.  Y’all keep on trying to drag ‘em outa me.  You’re gonna have to score a copy of this book to find out all the deets y’all’s-selves.

However, there are some things I will tell y’all about GATES OF MARS.  *Le Gasp*

The feeling of this story is engrossing.  To me, it’s Terminator (think Skynet) + Blade Runner + AI + Altered Carbon + Matrix + The 5^th Element + Dune (the books, not that wacko movie) + some others I’m too lazy to name.  

The world building in GATES OF MARS is immediate and tangible.  I was actually there while reading this book and suffered a bit of book hang-over when I finally put it down.  The shift from the story to reality was a mind trick. I think the authors may have done that on purpose, yo!

In fact, I was truly impressed with the crisp, intelligent prose in this book.  Some hard sci fi books are flat out boring and bog the reader down in too many unnecessary deets as an attempted mode to trick the reader into thinking the writer knows what he/she is talking about.  But that’s not a necessity when writing fiction.  And it’s also why I choose to write soft sci fi, myself, because who wants to purposely read something that’s going to bore them out of their minds?  (Now y’all might be surprised to hear me ask that question, seeing as how I’m working toward a PhD in History.  Hush up!  History is fascinating I tells ya!)

This book is the first installment in The Halo Trilogy, and I cannot wait to get my grabby hands on the next two books!  (If you wanna know what “Halo” is, well, you’re just gonna have to read the book! I promise, you’ll love it!)

McFall and Hays successfully spun science fiction elements into their prose in such a way that the reader experiences them instead of just reading about them.  That’s what makes GATES OF MARS deliciously engrossing.

And that’s why I’m granting

GATES OF MARS

By

Kathleen McFall + Clark Hays

5 Trillingly Sci Fi Brooms

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed. Gates of Mars is their eighth co-authored book.

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TWO WINNERS: One Winner: First edition copy of A Very Unusual Romance 

One Winner: All four books in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection 

June 29-July 8, 2020

(U.S. Only)

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6/29/20	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
6/29/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/29/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
6/30/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
6/30/20	Review	Sybrina's Book Blog
7/1/20	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
7/1/20	Review	Book Bustle
7/2/20	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
7/2/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
7/3/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
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*Read My Review & ENTER TO WIN!* The Outlaw's Daughter by Margaret Brownley

THE OUTLAW'S DAUGHTER 
HAYWIRE BRIDES, BOOK 3

by

MARGARET BROWNLEY

Western / Historical Fiction / Clean & Wholesome Romance 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Date of Publication: May 26, 2020 
Number of Pages: 384

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He may be a Texas Ranger, but he only has eyes for the outlaw's beautiful daughter . . .  Texas Ranger Matt Taggert is on the trail of a wanted man. He has good reason to believe that Ellie-May's late husband was involved in a stagecoach robbery, and he's here to see justice done. But when he arrives in town, he discovers the thief has become a local hero . . . and his beautiful young widow isn't too happy to see some lawman out to tarnish her family's newly spotless reputation. 

Ellie-May's shaken by her encounter with the ranger. Having grown up an outlaw's daughter, she'll do anything to keep her children safe—and if that means hardening her heart against the handsome lawman's smiles, then so be it. Because she knows Matt isn't about to give up his search. He's out to redeem himself and find proof that Ellie-May's husband wasn't the saint everyone claims . . . even if it means losing the love neither expected to discover along the way.

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AMAZON     BARNES & NOBLE  

Hey, Y’all! Well, here we are, almost at the end of May. Summer is right around the corner, and I’m still staying the heck at home, away from germs and the people who carry them.  

This gives me more time with my books, both reading and writing ‘em, and it gives me time to do other things like this:

Yes. I actually did this to my own dog.  It’s like she’s a time traveler against her own fur-will. I confess at having laughed way too hard whilst doing this portrait of Sascha Marie, who you can follow on Facebook by clicking on her name (which I just now typed). I’ve been spending some time honing my Photoshop skills, and in doing so, have even gotten my first commission for a pet portrait, yo! Check it out. 

 I titled this portrait, Her Grace Callie Mae, Duchess of Purrington. Not bad, huh? 
(My next one will be a portrait of a fish in Renaissance garb.)  

What have y’all been doing during all this extra at-home time? 
Leave a comment below. I’m lonely and need human interaction.

Speaking of which …

Kristine, siren of all books she surveys, lured me in once more. Come to think of it, I bet she’s got one of them confounded voodoo dolls with curly red hair and blue buttons for eyes. Instead of jabbing it with pins, she prolly tapes books on it and whispers “Belle, you are gonna lurve (yes, I think she actually whispers that word) this book. Sign up to review it.
DO IT NOW, OR I’LL JAB YOU WITH A PIN!”

That’s when my eyes fly open, in the dark of the night, and I immediately go to the blogger group and start searching for the book title I’d heard whispered in my dream-mare (I just made that word up.)  But, ya know what? Somehow, the book temptress is always right. She could be, like, a millionaire with her canny bookish book bloggerness in all her glory.

Alas, I digress.

Let’s get on with the review, shall we? (I saw you nodding your head off, tired of my rambling. Yes, I’m looking at you!)

THE OUTLAW’S DAUGHTER by Margaret Brownley is not a genre that’s usually on my self-chosen, non-book-siren-influenced forte of reading material. I usually personally go for something with a fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi blend or to the other end of the scale -- something that’s extremely literary (think Shakespeare or Beowulf) or some obscure Viking history book that’s frankly boring to most people.  But, Kristine knows me well, I tells ya!  Yes. She knows something historical is gonna tickle my ever-loving fancy. And she was right on the money.

It was a sunny day when THE OUTLAW’S DAUGHTER arrived in my mailbox. The rays of afternoon sunlight glowed on the gorgeous cover of Brownley’s book as I slipped it out of the envelope. But something else slipped out, too.  A lovely, handwritten note from the author.  I carefully turned back the gorgeous cover (y’all know how I love to keep a book looking like it’s never been read) and there it was … another note and the author’s autograph (y’all also know I love it when the book is autographed.  GAZE UPON THE SPLENDOR!

Not only does this book look great on my library shelf, as you can clearly see, but it also sits well in the reader’s hands.  It has a nice, tangible quality that makes ya not wanna put it down. But that’s not the only thing that keeps the reader glued to this book.

Ms. Brownley has the unmitigated gall to quote Mark Twain even before she gets to the hook, which you’ll read about here in a second. Now, quoting witty ole Twain is the perfect way to snag a Literature Major’s heart. (I’m beginning she did it on purpose. Heck, maybe she’s even in cahoots with Kristine the Book Siren. NO, I AIN’T PARANOID!)

The reader quickly learns on the first line of Chapter 1 that this book takes place in the Year of Our Lord 1887 in a place called Haywire, Texas.  “That sounds like a place where I belong,” I says to myself as I snuggled down into my reading nook and tucked into the story.

And there it was. Right there. The hook.

Of course, I had no other option but to continue reading. And so, I tumbled headfirst into THE OUTLAW’S DAUGHTER by Margaret Brownley.  The roads were dusty in Haywire, when I picked myself up from whence I'd landed in the story. There’d been a drought for some time, and the town folk were scurrying to and fro, stirring up clouds of dust. I stood at the edge of the dusty street, watching horses and wagons pass by and listening to people chatter on about an upcoming town celebration to do with a bronze statue. (I hoped none of them could see me standing there in my nightgown.)

Imma stop there, because y’all know I don’t give spoilers.

But I will tell y’all this:  there are a lot of things that I enjoyed about this book. First, Brownley has the gift of a true storyteller. Each page fed my interest in the story until I was actually invested in the characters. Indeed, I was so enthralled that I plowed through this book in one sitting. 

Of equal enjoyment is how Brownley allows her characters to be their authentic selves. Ya know what I mean? She actually allows them to say the things and speak the way you’d expect if you met them in person.  For example:

I’ve added this line to my repertoire of future insults, by the way. Thank you, Ms. Brownley!

This story has everything a reader longs for in a book:  tragedy, tenderness, suspense, romantic tension, and a good lookin’ Texas Ranger. Boy, howdy and lawd have mercy! *Fans Self*

via GIPHY

Most of all, Brownley’s writing is crisp, intelligent, and witty. I enjoyed the heck out of this book and my visit to Haywire, Texas.  No matter what genre the reader usually prefers, THE OUTLAW’S DAUGHTER by Margaret Brownley has all the elements to keep any reader enthralled until the very last satisfying sentence.

And that’s why I grant The Outlaw’s Daughter

Five Haywire Brooms!

  

New York Times bestselling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than forty-six novels and novellas. 

A two-time Romance Writers of American RITA® finalist, Margaret has also written for a TV soap and is a recipient of the Romantic Times Pioneer Award. Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English. Just don't ask her to diagram a sentence.

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  May 26-June 5, 2020

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5/26/20	Promo	All the Ups and Downs
5/26/20	Review	Missus Gonzo
5/27/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/27/20	Review	Book Bustle
5/28/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/28/20	Review	That's What She's Reading
5/29/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
5/29/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
5/30/20	Review	Book Fidelity
5/31/20	Review	Bibliotica
6/1/20	Review	The Page Unbound
6/1/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/2/20	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles
6/3/20	Review	It's Not All Gravy
6/4/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/4/20	Review	Momma on the Rocks

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