Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Blog Tour for Inquisitor by R.J. Blain, presented by Reading
Addiction Book Tours. Please leave a
comment or question for Ms. Blain to let her know you stopped by. You can follow the rest of her tour here. My
review will post later today.
Inspirational Authors by R.J. Blain
People might like to look at me and
think I’m a writer, but I was a reader first—and books are what inspired me to
want to write books of my own. These are my favorite authors, and why I love
them.
Brandon
Sanderson
From concluding The Wheel of Time and
having several other series, Brandon Sanderson is popular for a lot of reasons.
My favorite book isn’t the usual fare, though, but Elantris. This book captured
me from the first sentence and held me, breathless, all the way through.
Until I read Elantris, I wasn’t all that
into standalone novels. But Sanderson’s work on this one is so great I decided
it was totally cool to read (and write) standalones, and that they could be
just as wonderful as a book in a series.
But seriously, this is such a unique
take on fantasy that I really recommend it to anyone wanting something a little
different. (P.S.: You may not even realize you’re reading about zombies.)
Mercedes
Lackey
I confess, I’m not quite as hard core of
a fan of her newer stuff as I am of her original books, but Mercedes Lackey was
one of the authors who made me really, really love reading. My favorite books
by her include the Obsidian Trilogy, By the Sword, and Take a Thief.
Robin
McKinley
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the
Crown are among two of my all-time favorite books. I love horses, and I love
women who use weapons. And dragons. Let’s just say this was a match made in
heaven. I’ve owned many copies of these books over the year, and I suspect I’ll
own more copies of them as I wear out the bindings and spines yet again. And I
confess—I didn’t know how much I loved the desert until I read these books. And
my first time I actually got to go to a desert… it matched my expectations and
more.
Vince
Flynn & Tom Clancy
So these authors aren’t science fiction
or fantasy, but thriller. It was a sad year for me. These two men are among my
favorites, and both of them died so close to each other. I feel like there is a
gaping hole where my thriller fixes should be.
In Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series, Rapp
is a relatable character, fun to read about and so very interesting. The books
are exciting. There is a lot of interesting—and frighteningly feasible—events
in these novels.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels are the
ones I love, especially The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and The
Cardinal of the Kremlin. Ryan, like Rapp, is such a relatable character.
Both of these series definitely hooked
me on the thriller genre.
They’ll both be missed.
Inquisitor
By R.J. Blain
Witch
& Wolf, Volume 1
Publisher:
Pen & Page Publishing
Release
Date: April 29, 2014
Genre:
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Length:
478 Pages
When Allison is asked to play
Cinderella-turned-Fiancee at a Halloween ball, the last thing she expects is to
be accused of murder. She has to find the killer and quick, or she'll be put to
death for the crimes she didn't commit. To make matters worse, the victims are
all werewolves.
On the short list of potential victims, Allison has to act fast, or the killer will have one more body to add to his little black book of corpses.
There's only one problem: One of the deaths has struck too close to home, and Allison's desire for self-preservation may very well transform into a quest for vengeance...
On the short list of potential victims, Allison has to act fast, or the killer will have one more body to add to his little black book of corpses.
There's only one problem: One of the deaths has struck too close to home, and Allison's desire for self-preservation may very well transform into a quest for vengeance...
Excerpt
“I can’t believe you brought me to New
York on today of all days.” I nodded my head at the park, but taking in the
entirety of the city in a single gesture. Even in the relative peace of the
park, I could hear the bustle, the honk of horns, and the noise of the restless
cityscape. Atlanta wasn’t much different downtown, but at least it was home.
“Oh, come off it, Allison. You like
Halloween.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe a little. I
still can’t believe you brought me here, though.”
“Anyway, you owe me,” he said before
clucking his tongue.
I winced. He had me dead to rights, and
I knew it. Mark gathered favors and cashed them in like currency. Resisting was
futile. “Rub it in my face, why don’t you?”
“Of course I will. Another time. I’m
enjoying myself way too much right now. You’re mine for three whole days, like
it or not.”
“I’m doomed,” I groaned.
He laughed.
I didn’t have the courage to tell him I
meant it. It was bad enough it was Samhain. The full moon would reach its
zenith after nightfall. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to pop
a tail for real. That’d surprise him. It’d also get me killed. I doubted the
NYPD would appreciate a wolf running loose in the center of their city.
“Seriously, Mark. What’s so important
that you had to fly me in from Atlanta? I do have a job, you know. I’d even
like to keep it.”
“You’re owed three weeks, and at the
rate you’re going, they’re probably getting ready to force you to take the time
off. The way I see it, I’ve done you a favor.”
“Mark,” I growled.
“Okay, fine. It’s my mom. I told her I
had a girlfriend so she’d shut up about me getting married for a while. She
wants to meet her. To meet you.”
I broke into a brisk walk, cutting
across the grass towards one of the other paths through the park. With luck, he’d
get grass stains on his pretty, blue business suit. “You brought me to New York
to dress up as your girlfriend for Halloween?”
I guess it really was going to be a
night for wearing masks and pretending to be the impossible. If I had a mother, I’m sure she would’ve
been proud. I didn’t cuss, scream, or pitch a fit. I did keep walking without
checking if Mark kept pace with me.
He did. “Come on, Allison. I’ll make it
up to you, I swear.”
“A Halloween party with your mother,
Mark? Have you lost your mind? She’s never going to believe we’re a couple, for
one. Two, you live in New York City. I live in Atlanta. You know, that place
you flew me in from? She’s got no reason to believe us.”
“I might have told her that you are an
old college friend, and we’d been seeing each other on and off since we got our
degrees. It’s even true! Just not for the reasons she thinks. Come on, Allison.
It’s only for one night. And you’ll save me from marrying a woman I’ve never
met.”
I sighed. “Seriously? Did your mother
have you betrothed or something? That’s so two hundred years ago. At least you
had the decency to book me into a good hotel. How did you manage a room at the
Plaza on such short notice?” Using my brown bangs as a shield, I stared at my
friend. He was grinning wolfishly.
“Who said it was on short notice? I had
our room booked six months ago.”
I tripped over my own feet. A startled
cry worked its way out of my throat. Mark’s arm slapped against my chest as he
caught me. With a low grunt, he hauled me upright.
“Careful.”
My face burned. “Sorry.” I drew a deep
breath. Killing Mark in Central Park wouldn’t work — not during the daytime.
There’d be too many witnesses. “Our room?”
“We’re twenty five. We’re young, healthy
adults. There’s no way my mom will believe we’re a couple if we don’t share a
room,” he replied.
“You have a perfectly nice condo, Mark.
I’ve seen it. Why not invite me there instead of booking us a room in one of
New York’s more expensive hotels?”
“Wait until you see the room,” Mark
said. Then he leered at me.
Oh God. I closed my eyes, stood
straight, and once again shoved my hands into my back pockets. No tail. That
was a start. I counted to ten. Then I counted to ten again.
When that didn’t calm me down enough, I
systematically considered all of Mark’s banking accounts I could probably hack
my way into, calculating how much I could siphon off without him noticing. I
wouldn’t do it, but the figure made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
When I managed to quell my urge to
throttle my friend, I opened my eyes and glared at him. “You got a honeymoon
suite, didn’t you?”
“Do try to act surprised when I propose.
At least you have an easy line. Don’t worry, we’ll call off the engagement in a
month or two.”
“Mark.”
“Yes, dear?”
“Give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you
in your sleep tonight.”
“I’m too good looking to kill.”
“No.”
“I pay you exceptionally well for your
accounting skills.”
“True, but no.”
“You like me?” His voice wavered, and I
had to work to smother my grin.
“You sound so confident,” I murmured.
“Fine. I like you. A little. I’ll do it, but you, dear Mark, will owe me.”
Mark’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he
swallowed. “You wouldn’t really try to kill me, would you?”
I grabbed hold of his tie and yanked
down so I could look him in the eye. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
“I wouldn’t bet your life on it, if I were you.”
The little color he did have fled from
his face. I let him go and resumed walking across the park, whistling a merry
tune.
R.J.
Blain
RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession,
a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.
When she isn't playing pretend, she likes to think
she's a cartographer and a sumi-e painter. In reality, she herds cats and a
husband. She also has a tendency to play MMOs and other computer games.
In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy.
Should that fail, her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to
spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until she is satisfied.
Website: http://rjblain.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rj_blain
