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Hi guys! It's me Krishna. I hope you guys haven't forgotten me. We have a guest book reviewer today. She's going to be posting reviews here in Journey with Books, hopefully frequently. Her name is Kayla and she reviewed the book titled Viking Fire by Ms. Andrea Cooper.

Title: Viking Fire
Author: Andrea R. Cooper
Print Length: 172 pages
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Date Published: July 29, 2013
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00DV0XJ9U

Book Blurb:

856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.

Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?

Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe - Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?

With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.


Sensuality Level: Sensual

Book Trailer:

I recommend Viking Fire to anyone who loves romance and a fight, because you will definitely get both.

About the Reviewer:

Do you want to be a reviewer like Kayla?Sign up to be a Guest Book Reviewer at Journey with BooksJust fill up this form.

Hi my lovely readers! I trust that you're all doing fine. Today we have a very special guest. We have Ms. Michelle Beattie, the author of Heart of Mine (Bandit Creek), to share her thoughts to us. This would make us know more about her and her characters in her book, Heart of Mine (Bandit Creek). I won't make this any longer, please read on to Ms. Michelle Beattie's guest post..

Who doesn't like a Cinderella story?  That idea that a person down on their luck, who has the worst parts of life constantly being thrown at them can find the happiness they deserve?  I love this concept and while I realize that it isn't a universal truth, that there are millions of people who only ever see the worst life has to offer, the romantic in me likes giving my characters the happiness they've struggled to achieve.


And so, take out the palace, princes and fairy godmothers and throw a flawed couple into the American West and you have a western, historical Cinderella story.


Jake is rich and bitter, tired of being used for his wealth.  Laura has loved Jake her whole life but he doesn't see her.  So when her father forces her into trapping Jake, she sees it not only as a chance to break free of her controlling father, but a chance to make Jake happy.  Obviously Jake doesn't see it that way, but Laura is determined to show him she isn't after his money, only his love.


What appeals to me, more than the downtrodden get a chance at happiness is the one truth I've always believed; money can't buy happiness.


It can't buy you the cure for cancer; it can't bring back a loved one.  It can't make people love you.  It can't help you love yourself.


And so, while it's always fun to play the "what would you buy if you had all the money in the world?" game, I thought I'd take this post down a more serious path.


If you had all the money you ever wanted but could trade it for ONE thing.  What would that be?

Interesting thoughts from Ms. Michelle Beattie. I guess, if I have all the money in the world I would trade it for simple happiness. I think that's the only treasure I would want to keep.

Thank you Ms. Michelle Beattie for this very interesting guest post. I enjoyed reading it.

I have read Ms. Michelle Beattie's "Heart of Mine" and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I will post the full review in the coming days.  But for now, I'm leaving you with this...


Title: Heart of Mine(Bandit Creek)
Author: Michelle Beattie
Print Length: 94 pages
Publisher: Michelle Beattie (April 12, 2012)

• Can you tell us something about yourself? Somethings that's not written on your Author Bio.

I have a twin sister who I am really close to. She has three children, one of which is severely autistic. Brianna is seven, still wears diapers, and is nonverbal, but she is one of the most loving little girls you could ever meet. I am a huge autism advocate, and I donate part of my proceeds to the cause. I have a special place in my heart for families who have been touched by autism <3 

• How did you discover your love for writing?

My family didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up. We didn't have television. When I was around five years old, my mother took my sister and I to the local library for a library card. That card changed my world. It opened up a whole new level of imagination, and I discovered a love for stories. At first, I simply made up stories and told them to my twin sister at night while we were in bed. As I got older, and I learned to write, I began writing the stories down. I rarely kept them. I didn't have a lot of confidence in my writing abilities as a child and young adult. It was my mother, a single mother of two who did not finish high school, who gave me the wings to fly. She "rescued" anything I threw away. Years later when I asked her why, she told me, "What you considered trash, I considered genuis." It is a motto I live by. My mother was a brilliant woman. I can honestly say there has never been a moment in my life where I didn't want to be a writer.

• Where do you base your characters?

My characters are a wild mix of people I have met, people I know, and people I wish I knew. And there is always a little bit of my personality in each of them as well. Only a few characters are based almost entirely on just one person I know. My character, Monroe, in the Redemption series for example, is based on my own best friend, Audrey Welch.

• What are the different perks of being a published author?

I think the biggest perk of having a book published, whether traditionally or independently, is having other people become a part of your life through your stories. It's being able to get your work out there, to make it available to the public.

• What is the hardest thing on being an author?

The hardest part of being an author is editing and promotion. Writing a story is the easy part. Writing is about emptying your heart and soul on paper, stripping yourself naked in front of millions of people. But, in order to get the story out there, it has to be edited first, and there has to be an audience who will buy it. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing editor named Melanie Bruce. She is such a dear friend and she really cares about the books. As for promotion, It can be a hard road trying to figure out what you need to do to make people take notice. Even if they hate the book, it's still attention. And even though promoting is time consuming and sometimes complex, I have met some absolutely amazing people because of it.

• When the word "HOT" is uttered, who is the first person that comes into your mind?

My husband . . . That said, I'm also going to say Sam Worthington from the movie Clash of the Titans and Avatar. *sigh* yum!

• Who is that one celebrity you would want to marry if you're not married yet?

I'm married, but if I wasn't I think I'd have to say Sam Worthington or Jensen Ackles.

• One movie that you are dying to watch?

I would say Hunger Games, but I have already gotten the chance to see that (loved it, btw). So I think I'd have to say the second Hunger Games movie.

• If you're going to heaven, who is that one person you would want to be with you?

Such a hard question! And I would have to admit, that unless I could take at least four people with me, I'd have to stay on earth. lol. I would want to take my three daughters and my husband with me.

• If you're going to hell, who is that one person you would drag down with you?

Now that, my dears, is a secret. . . ;)

• What is next for Ms. R.K. Ryals?

Right now, I am currently working on Retribution: book 3 in the Redemption series. It is slated for a May release and should be out no later than the end of that month. After that, I will be working on two anthology submissions, and then I will be starting on the second book in the Acropolis Series. I also have a fantasy series and another paranormal series in the draft stage.