Book Spotlight & Giveaway: The Ack Ack Girl by Chris Karlsen

 

Love and War

 

A country under attack and the story of one woman’s fight to protect England and her heart.

 

1941. The German war machine has crushed all of Europe-only England holds fast. To force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe bombs cities and villages the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.

 

To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. These special teams of courageous women will now fight in the anti-aircraft stations. Determined to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong, volunteers for one of the special teams.

 

Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with Chris Fairfield, a handsome and cocky pilot stationed there. But nothing is easy in time of war, not even love.

Read an Excerpt

London-October 1940 

Ava’s blood froze in her veins at the growing roar, or so it felt. Her heart pounded in her ears. The hammering hardly noticeable against the raw fear that filled her as the air raid siren wailed. 

Which direction were the planes coming from? 

In the basement everyone sat on the floor, their backs pressed to the wall. No one spoke. Everyone held hands. In the flickering lamplight, Penny had grasped Ava’s.  

And they waited. 

The first explosion sounded from across the river, many blocks away. Ava closed her eyes and whispered, “Thank you.” A wave of guilt hit her. Part of the city was destroyed. Londoners were dying while she gave thanks. But she was grateful. 

The ack-ack-ack sound of the anti-aircraft rounds cut the air and joined the warning wail. 

Closer now, another barrage of anti-aircraft bursts rang out as the deep rumble from the German planes came their way. Ava and the Gordon family instinctively tightened their grips on each other’s hands. 

“Miss us, please miss, please miss...” Ava repeated. 

The roar of the Messerschmitts was overhead now. The bombers growled like gigantic, angry bears. Grandma Gordon fingered the imaginary beads of a rosary as she recited a Hail Mary. 

At the first whistle of falling bombs, Ava pulled Peaches to her and cradled the trembling dog. Without thinking, she curled her legs up, buried her head between them, and covered her head with her arms. 

The worst thunder clap times a million, that’s how Ava remembered the noise just before the bricks crashed around her. It sounded like the end of the world.

In a way it was.

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I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.

I’m currently working on the Bloodstone Series, which is historical suspense with romantic elements. I’m also writing a world war two romance series, The Love and War series.

My past series include my historical/time travel romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two wild and crazy rescue dogs.

Visit Chris online at...

https://chriskarlsen.com 

https://twitter.com/chriskarlsen1 

https://www.instagram.com/chriskarlsenwriter

https://www.facebook.com/ChrisKarlsenAuthor

Chris Karlsen will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Book Spotlight: Silk by Chris Karlsen

London-Fall, 1888

The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum's beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.

Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.

As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.

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Book Excerpt:

He wrapped an end in each hand and pulled. His fingers crept up the silk and he tugged a bit harder still. The material pressed deeper into the flesh of her neck. Bright pink dotted her cheeks and radiated down to her jaw. The veins in her temples popped out and pulsed in time to her heartbeat. She moaned, pushed her hips upward and writhed against him. Her soft pubic hair tickled his testicles. Isabeau’s unsubtle way of letting him know she wanted him inside her. He obliged.

Her hands encircled his wrists. She tugged hard outward, harder than usual. A choked sigh escaped her. He paid no attention. This was standard. Isabeau always insisted he maintain pressure until she signaled for him to release his hold. In the past, when she reached the edge of consciousness, she’d beat along his upper arms. This time she thrashed her head back and forth, something he hadn’t seen before. Her eyes bulged in an unattractive way and she clawed at him. Her nails gouged the skin on his hands, drawing blood.

Read more at the author's website!

Chris is a Chicago native. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was in her late teens where she later studied at UCLA. She graduated with a Business Degree. Her father was a history professor and her mother a voracious reader. She grew up with a love of history and books.

Her parents were also passionate about traveling and passed their passion onto Chris. Once bitten with the travel bug, Chris spent most of her adult life visiting the places she'd read about and that fascinated her. She's had the good fortune to travel Europe extensively, the Near East, and North Africa, in addition to most of the United States.

After college, Chris spent the next twenty-five years in law enforcement with two agencies. Harboring a strong desire to write since her teens, upon retiring from police work, Chris decided to pursue her writing career. She currently writes three different series. Her historical romance series is called, Knights in Time. Her romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters, and he latest book, Silk, is book one in her mystery/suspense series, The Bloodstone series.

She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five wild and crazy rescue dogs.

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First Chapter Review: Byzantine Gold by Chris Karlsen

The first chapter of Byzantine Gold by romantic thriller author Chris Karlsen was submitted to me by her publicist.

BLURB: A sunken warship from the Byzantine Era carrying an unusual cargo of gold has been found off the coast of Northern Cyprus. News of the valuable cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. They plan to attack the recovery team’s campsite and steal the artifacts. On the Black Market, the sale of the relics will buy them additional weapons.

Charlotte Dashiell, an American archaeologist, and her lover, Atakan Vadim, a Turkish government agent, are scheduled to be part of the recovery team that brings up the artifacts. While en route to Cyprus, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Maksym Tischenko, a Ukrainian contract killer bent on revenge. Charlotte, Atakan and Tischenko share a grim history. As a result, Tischenko is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal—seeing them both dead.

COVER:  A bit busy for my taste, but it is beautiful. The colors work well and it captures the essence of the book based upon the back cover blurb.

FIRST CHAPTER: Charlotte and Atakan are in Paris when Charlotte believes she's seen Tischenko, a man who once kidnapped and tortured her. Atakan isn't so sure, but by the time they make it to where Charlotte thinks she saw him, he's gone.

KEEP READING: For now. Karlsen does a superb job of painting a picture of Paris for the reader. That, with the possibility she has encountered the man who has already attempted to kill her, encourage one to continue. My challenge was the dialogue was stilted by too many "he said, she said" type tags, which break up the natural flow of conversation and slow the pace.

It appears the book will be told by at least two points of view: Charlotte's and Tischenko's. This will add depth and allow readers to understand both sides to the story. I'm looking forward to that.

I would definitely read another chapter or two to see how the story flows. Based upon the synopsis, it sounds fascinating.


File Size: 2253 KB
Print Length: 287 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1481980726
Publisher: Books to Go Now (December 31, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00AVMIHDE

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I received the first chapter of this book from the author through her publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in anyway. 

First Chapter Review: Golden Chariot by Chris Karlsen

I'm slightly changing the format of my first chapter reviews by eliminating the title and author line at the beginning of the post. That information is in the blog post's title and on the book cover. It seems redundant to me. :)

I won a copy of this book when I visited the author during a blog stop at The Dark Phantom Review. The synopsis of the book captured my attention, so I wanted to dig into it right away.

BLURB:  The rare discovery of a ship sunk during the time of the Trojan War has been found off the coast of Turkey, near Troy. Charlotte Dashiell is an American nautical archaeologist and thrilled to be part of the recovery team. The wreck may contain proof of her highly controversial theory about the Trojan War.

Charlotte is present when the Turkish government agent assigned to guard the site is murdered. Her possible involvement and a questionable connection to a private collector of black market relics bring her under suspicion. Atakan Vadim is the Turkish agent sent to investigate her. Unknown to either of them, the smuggler behind the murder plans to steal a valuable artifact and frame Charlotte for the theft...after they murder her.

COVER:  Great. Exactly what I would expect for this book. It captures the setting and the plot perfectly.

FIRST CHAPTER:  Charlotte is on a boat in Greece when she is awakened by an explosive sound. Traveling through the darkness she goes to find Ekrem and Heather. The friends soon meet up with a crewman who helps direct them to rescue boats, but they are separated.

KEEP READING:  Definitely. This is a different setting and plot than I would typically read, but the synopsis made me want to dive right in. I love history, so that this story will tie into the Trojan War adds excitement for me. The first chapter isn't long, but it's filled with suspense and danger. Karlsen drops us right into the action and keeps us on guard as Charlotte and her friends find each other and make their way on deck. I can't reveal more, but I will say the first chapter ends strongly and I am eager to continue.

File Size: 3348 KB

Print Length: 316 pages

Publisher: Books to Go Now (March 14, 2012)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

ASIN: B007KNLC02

SRP: $2.99 for Kindle

I won a free copy of this book from a blog. I was not asked to write a review. A full review will follow at a later date. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for sharing my thoughts.