Tag: Jamie Salisbury

Review: Tudor Rose and Tudor Rubato by Jamie Salisbury

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Tudor Dynasty #1
Length: 114 pages
Publisher: Jamie Salisbury
Date Released: November 28, 2011
Purchasing Info:Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance

Amadeus Tudor is rock star royalty. Tudor is part of a musical dynasty, who has risen to a level of fame usually seen once in a lifetime. He’s the front man for Tudor Rose, one of the top selling, most beloved rock bands in recent memory.

Zara Middleton, long time former manager and publicist to Tudor Rose has been brought back into the fold, this time as Amadeus Tudor’s personal body guard. Someone is out to harm Amadeus, the question is who. And why would someone want to harm him? He has no known enemies, his fans as well as his business associates adore him.

As the new tour gets underway, unsettling things begin to happen and Zara wonders who among Amadeus’s new management team she can trust.

The tour also finds Amadeus and Zara inseparable. As Zara becomes aware of long ignored feelings and emotions toward her former client, Amadeus takes charge, determined not to lose the only woman he’s truly loved again.

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Tudor Dynasty #2
Length: 100 pages
Publisher: Jamie Salisbury
Date Released: November 9, 2012
Purchasing Info:Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Having survived a near-death experience all Amadeus Tudor wants to do is escape to the countryside of Scotland with his wife Zara so the two can have some much needed down time together as a couple and work on rebuilding their relationship. Life for the past couple of years, however has been “a long, strange trip (it’s been)”* for the internationally acclaimed rock star, with no signs of stopping.

But before the couple can even get away, tragedy hits close to home forcing the couple into almost delaying their new adventure. Grace Tudor, the family matriarch insists the two embark on their new adventure and recommitting to each other immediately.

The change of scenery proves exactly what Amadeus needs to reboot his songwriting and his all encompassing bond with Zara. Together they embrace their new adventure as slowly Amadeus, with the guidance of music icon, Peter McNichol embarks on what promises to be another notch in Amadus’ career.

The road is full of twists and turns for the pair as one moment finds them frolicking in the meadows outside Edinburgh to the next learning the shocking and sinister side of one of Amadeus’ own brothers.

Jamie Salisbury’s Tudor Dynasty is one long and winding road, with all due apologies to Lennon and McCartney. And it’s also a rock and roll fantasy. At least a rock and roll fantasy love story. But that’s what makes it so much fun. How many of us haven’t had at least one daydream about marrying a rock star?

In Tudor Rose Zara Middleton lives that dream, and discovers there’s a nightmare at the heart. Not with the love of her life, Amadeus Tudor, but with someone in the shadows around him. Zara used to be Amadeus’ manager, but she left. Working with him wasn’t enough when all they could be was friends.

When she returns, she discovers immediately that what she felt wasn’t one-sided. But the threat she’s there to combat is also real. Zara came back because someone is sending threats, and it seemed easier to find out the truth from the inside of the tour. So while Amadeus’ band, Tudor Rose, tours, Zara goes along as his girlfriend, and later his wife.

The attacks escalate, someone is sowing dissention among the other band members, causing friction on and off the stage. Then things get violent, and the story ends in a near tragedy. Amadeus is attacked by stealth. Someone poisons him at a party.

Tudor Rubato picks up six months later. Amadeus is finally out of a long coma, but the cost was dear. Zara lost the baby she was carrying. Their marriage and partnership are in trouble.

While their situation is in turmoil, the attacks continue, on the personal and professional fronts. The perpetrator turns out to be much closer to home than anyone could have suspected, or even feared.

No amount of money or fame in the world can protect someone when their family betrays them.

Escape Rating B-: Tudor Rose gets off to a very fast start. There’s so much history between Amadeus and Zara, it almost reads as if there was a story that took place before Tudor Rose that we haven’t seen. (If there isn’t, the story before they get together might make a great prequel.)

The rock star who helps move Amadeus’ career to the next level, seemed so familiar, I actually googled him to see if he was real. He’s not, but he ought to be. The band fracturing read as if it were ripped from an issue of Rolling Stone, although the reasons behind it turned out to be much nastier.

It’s hard to rate these separately. I read them back to back, and they read as a single story. That being said, Tudor Rubato ends on a terrible cliffhanger. I hope it’s not another year before we find out what happens next!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-11-12

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

I miss my second monitor. I miss it really, really bad. It’s the big drawback to working on the blog on the road. My poor laptop just isn’t quite the machine my desktop is.

And then there’s that whole second monitor thing.

On the good news front, we found a place to live. On the first day of looking. This was SO much less drama than the move from Gainesville to Atlanta. I’m amazed. And happy. And thrilled. So we’re going home early to do more of the stuff we need to do, with a couple more days to do it in. At this point, pretty much every hour is precious.

Speaking of precious, let’s take a look at the precious, and maybe a few not-so-precious, things that happened at Reading Reality this week.

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press September 2012 Featured Titles: #1 Long Shots Books 1-3 by Christine d’Abo, #2 The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James, #3 How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee
B- Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane
Interview with Samantha Kane + Giveaway
Interview with Aubrie Dionne + Giveaway
A- Review: Bared to You by Sylvia Day
B Review: Reflected in You by Sylvia Day
Autumn’s Harvest Blog Hop
On My Wishlist-Waiting on Wednesday-Desperately Wanting Wednesday-On the Weekend

Just because I’m in the middle of packing and moving, you don’t think anything is stopping at Reading Reality, do you? Of course not.

On Monday, Ebook Review Central will be taking Veteran’s Day off, and I’ll be posting something to commemorate the holiday. I will admit to it being a conveniently scheduled holiday with my trip, but sometimes you get the bear. (Sometimes, the bear gets you)

Tuesday, my guest will be Cherry Adair. Cherry will be here to answer a few questions about the latest book in her T-FLAC series, Ice Cold. I’ll admit that Ice Cold was my first introduction to this romantic suspense series but I had absolutely no problems jumping right in. And wow! What a wild ride this one is!

Wednesday, Marie Treanor will be back with a guest blog, because she’s going to be talking about her new book, Smoke and Mirrors. I’m glad to have another one of Marie’s books to review, because I enjoyed Serafina and the Silent Vampire so much. Smoke and Mirrors is in a new series, but I’m still expecting a real treat.

Thursday, I’ll be part of Jamie Salisbury’s Tudor Rubato tour. Jamie’s Tudors are rock ‘n’ roll legends, not English monarchs, which makes this series more delicious-sounding, in more ways than one. I’ll be reviewing both Tudor Rose and Tudor Rubato for the book tour.

Rounding out the week, on Friday, I’ll have one more guest! Sophie Barnes will be here to talk about her Summersby series. In addition to an interview with Sophie, I’ll also be reviewing two of the Summersby books, There’s Something About Lady Mary and The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda.

Wow! What a week this is going to be! And the fun isn’t over yet. Reading Reality will be participating in two blog hops over Thanksgiving weekend.

So don’t forget to tune in next week for another exciting adventure!

 

Interview with Author Jamie Salisbury on Stories that Need to Be Told + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours> Giveaways

Let’s all welcome Jamie Salisbury to Reading Reality. Today’s guest is best known for her historical romances (the Perpetual series sounds yummy!) but she’s here to talk about her new contemporary romance featuring a fascinating older woman/younger man theme, Timeless Sojourn. (Just because Demi and Ashton didn’t make it doesn’t mean the pairing doesn’t have a lot of possibilities in romance, see my review for details)

For a look inside Jamie’s process, and a bit about this story, let’s hear from the author herself.

Marlene: Tell us a little bit about Jamie Salisbury. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Jamie: When I’m NOT writing, I’m out photographing something, getting inspiration for new, future books.  I love to travel , see new places, new cultures.

Marlene: You’ve had some real-life adventures that have served as background for some of your historical romances. Please tell us more!

Jamie: I’ve been fortunate to have lived abroad – great educational experiences and  I was in public relations for years, did some photography as well as being a photojournalist. Everything in and around the entertainment industry.  I have a lot of stories to come out of my vast experiences.

Marlene: What made you turn to contemporary romance for Timeless Sojourn, after writing several historical romances?

Jamie: I had some stories that wanted to be told – needed to be told and they just flowed once I started writing them. Timeless Sojourn has a lot of me in it, a lot of me poured out.

Marlene: Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

Jamie: My mother for sure, along with the fact that it was fun when I learned to read. There wasn’t all of this electronic stuff, which don’t get me wrong I think it is great, but kids don’t get the real feel of an actual book – unless they go to a library.

Marlene: Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

Jamie: It was something I always wanted to do – but in high school I had one teacher in particular who taught creative writing. She was awesome,  was way ahead of her time and made writing fun. To her no student was a “bad writer” – she just showed you how to develop what you had.

Marlene: Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

Jamie: A little of both. Timeless Sojourn I was more of a punster – I just let the story flow and tell itself. I’ve started a new one and it is quite planned out – nice and neat. But it’s one I’ve been mulling over for months, if not longer.

Marlene: Do your characters ever want to just take over the story?

Jamie: Oh yes and I let them  – to a point. I let them as long as they don’t get away from the story line. If so I go ahead and write it out and save it for a future story.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read, and why?

Jamie: That’s a really hard question. I think everyone should read Shakespeare and some of the other classics as adults. A lot of that stuff is pushed on us when we’re in high school or even college and we don’t appreciate it until we’re older.

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future?

Jamie:I have just finished the sequel for Tudor Rose.  I am working on final touches for the third installment of my Perpetual western series. There will be a sequel to Timeless Sojourn – I’m already plotting it out in a notebook. And finally I have a new one I’ve just started – one I’ve been also plotting on paper.

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Jamie: They can relate to the characters and storyline, they’re real, they’re fun.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Jamie: Both!! I get up at around six in the morning, sometimes earlier and usually don’t go to bed until midnight. And then I’m usually up and down all night. I’ll go work on things instead of tossing and turning.

Oh my goodness! I usually tell people I can be bright, or I can be early, but not both at the same time. You manage to do both at once. Wow!

And I absolutely loved your answers to Scarf Princess’ questions about the attractions of the older woman/younger man romance over at Words of Wisdom. Fantastic!

~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~

Jamie is giving away a $25 Amazon Giftcard to one random selected commenter during this tour.

This Giveaway is open to everyone! Yay!
To be entered, leave a comment telling me what you like (or dislike) about older woman/younger man relationships in romance
One lucky commenter will be selected from all the stops on this tour, so the more tour stops you make comments at, the better your chances! (A list of participating blogs is right here)
Giveaway ends at 11:45 PM on 8/3/12

 

Review: Timeless Sojourn by Jamie Salisbury

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

When one door closes, another door opens. That’s what they say. In Timeless Sojourn by Jamie Salisbury, the door seems to have closed directly on Anne Harrison’s foot, and on her long-term marriage. It opens on a new life.

The step through that door is a bit unsteady at times. In more ways than one.

Anne is in her mid-50s when the story begins. She’s outside the courtroom in rural north Georgia, on the threshold of divorcing her meth-addicted, soon-to-be-ex-husband. Life should be looking up.

Instead she stagnates. The divorce goes through. But the meth catches up with the ex. He only occasionally pays alimony. Anne has surgery and loses most of the toes on one foot. She can’t find a job. The economy sucks.

Her best friend Kat gives her some tough love, and tells her to get the hell out of Dixie and come home to Seattle. Kat has a place for her to live, and Kat’s fiancee Tom has a Administrative Assistant job waiting for her until she gets back on her financial feet.

Not only can you go home again, but things get better when you do. Anne gets out of her rut. What she expected was a chance at a future. Or at least moral support from her best friend.

What she got was a life. Tom didn’t just need an Administrative Assistant. He needed someone to find him a new office, help set up his new business, and do PR. PR is Anne’s specialty. Anne starts taking photographs again, her passion.

And she meets a man who infuriates, aggravates and excites her all at the same time. The only problem with Geoffrey Quinn, besides his arrogance and his amazing good looks, is that he’s in his 30s. He can’t possibly be pursuing Anne. Can he?

The more time they spend together, the deeper their relationship grows. But Anne and Geoff have, not just a lot, but some rather surprising, hurdles to overcome before they can even catch sight of a happily ever after.

Escape Rating B-: “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage”, or some cliché like that. In order for any relationship where the partners have a significant age gap, there has to be some kind of life experience equalizer to make the relationship work. Anne is older, but Geoff has graduated the school of hard knocks. Not just his own early divorce, but his sister is HIV-positive, and has been for several years. This is a difficult thing to get right, and it’s one area where the story succeeds.

As the story progresses, the reader is very aware of how Anne feels. This tale is told from her first person point of view, so we’re inside her head. We see what she sees, hear what she hears, and know what she thinks. But we only see her side. Anne’s emotions are crystal clear, but we don’t have the same perspective on Geoff. We know what he says and how he acts, but not why.

In the very early stages of their acquaintance, we know what Anne sees in Geoff. What we don’t know is why he pursues her. It’s a limitation of the first-person POV. He never tells her, and she doesn’t have a chance to overhear it. The reader doesn’t get inside his head, and I, for one, would definitely have appreciated seeing his side of things.

 

What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand? AKA The Sunday Post 7-29-12

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Mid-summer blog break part deux (a word which totally flummoxed the online dictionary, however flummoxed did not!)

The above only adds to the never-ending stream of anecdotes (anecdata, which is not a word but should be) that online dictionaries are not all they are cracked up to be.

Monday is the day for Ebook Review Central. And the calendar has come back around to Carina Press’ June 2012 titles. Carina always has a lot of candidates for the featured book slots, and this time was certainly no exception. (I will give you a hint about this week’s features. I feel sorry for everyone else if Shannon Stacey ever publishes three titles in a single month!)

On Thursday, August 2, I’ll be interviewing author Jamie Salisbury about her contemporary romance Timeless Sojourn, and, of course, reviewing the book. Ms. Salisbury is coming to Reading Reality as part of Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour.

 

Now next week I have something really neat coming up. I’ll be interviewing Laurie Frankel, the author of Goodbye for Now, as well as reviewing her new book. Goodbye for Now is both high-tech and a love story. And it’s about letting go. And not letting go. Think of One Day with a touch of A.I. thrown in. I can hardly wait.

 

And I always have new books. I know I’m going to download An Officer’s Duty by Jean Johnson, the second book in her Theirs Not to Reason Why military science fiction series, the minute it’s available. I thought the first book, A Soldier’s Duty, was utterly awesome, so July 31 can’t come soon enough for me.

 

Speaking of fantastic series, the second book in James R. Tuck’s Deacon Chalk series is due out next week. That’s Blood and Silver. The mid-series novella, Spider’s Lullaby, has been out for a while. I’ve read them both, I just need to post reviews, because if you like dark, gritty and snarky urban fantasy, this series is fantastically good. Start with That Thing at the Zoo for background and immediately follow with Blood and Bullets. Rock ’em, sock ’em urban fantasy with guns and attitude instead of spells and attitude.

Something I’m looking forward to reading next week is Julie Ann Walker’s Hell on Wheels. It’s the first of a series about a defense firm posing as Harley mechanics and motorcycle buffs. So all the books are going to have that utterly delicious bodyguard crush thing going on. And they’re set in my favorite home town, Chicago. So you’ve got alpha ex-military males, hot bodyguards, cold city, bad bikes, and the first story is all about breaking the guy code rule dating your best friend’s little sister. The series is Black Knights, Inc. Books 2 and 3 are In Rides Trouble and Rev It Up. If they are as good as they sound, I think I’m going to be glad I already have them all from NetGalley.

What exciting books are you looking forward to in this long, hot summer?