Trina and Taylor's Bedtime Stories: ★Blog Tour Stop + Four Star Review!★ Fractured Steel by TJ Loveless

Title: Fracured Steel
Author: T.J. Loveless

Release Date: February 15, 2014

Genre: Thriller/Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis

After a bloody tour in Iraq, all Karen Barnes wants is a simple life, surrounded by horses and the mountains of Wyoming. But when a stranger tries boarding a famous horse worth millions at her stable, Karen grows suspicious that the horse has been stolen.

When her worse fears are confirmed and her life is threatened, her instinct for survival kicks in. But things are far worse than she could have even imagined when she discovers that the theft is just a coverup for espionage.

With the lives of those she cares for at stake, can she find the courage to fight one more battle, or will the violence and carnage tear her to pieces?

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Trina's Four Star Review

Holy shit where do I even being with this book? I was stressed, confused, mad, sad, happy all in the span of 172 pages!

This book was intense and let me just start by saying Karen was a bad ass bitch! Throughout this book she took one hit after another and although she was damaged a little more with each event she still came out swinging on the other side.

I would not want to be on her bad side that is for sure.

This book was a story about healing. Throughout this book Karen was placed into some of the worst situations imaginable and she found a way to get the balance and build the trust she needed to survive.

I was left with a few questions still at the end of this book that maybe I missed something or maybe they were left unanswered, like why did Jake betray her? What was in it for him? Maybe I missed something but maybe not (confused)

I can say I was sad to see Aiden go but glad that he went with the promise of best friend status! He seemed sexy enough for me to want he and Karen to find a happy ending together but friendship was happy enough for them!

Karen had friends in high places and when it came down to it they stepped up and helped her out but not before all hell broke loose that is for sure. Like I said Karen was one bad ass bitch and I loved her!

If you are up for an emotional roller coaster with some terror, espionage and love thrown into it then this is the book for you! I look forward to reading more from T.J. Loveless in the future.

Excerpt

Johnny swung the M16 and pointed it at me, “Come here, honey.” He smiled, and I held back the waves of nausea. I knew the smile, what he wanted, knew if he got me out of here, I was going to hurt.

“Stop shooting and I will.” I kept my feet planted, hoping the fear didn’t show.

He turned and shot a man trying to crawl away. I flinched as blood and thicker things spread over the floor. “You don’t negotiate. Come here, Karen. We have unfinished business.”

I took a deep breath, the smell of copper pennies and released bowels covering my nose and throat. Don’t cry, show no weakness. There are others that might survive. I took a step, followed by several more. If I managed to get Johnny and Jake out of here, they could lock down and call for help. Peripheral vision said at least seven survived. The good of the many outweigh the good of the few, or the one, I repeated in my head, remembering the line from the eighties movie, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. I wasn’t brave like Spock, I was a coward, and couldn’t live with myself.

Standing in front of Johnny, I released a punch, sending him reeling. I grabbed his M16 as he lurched to the left, and turned it on Jake. I hesitated, seeing his beautiful eyes, a dozen years of memories flashing in front of me. Shaking my head, I pulled the trigger. His body jumped and moved, eyes wide with pain and surprise.

I turned the muzzle to a hunched over Johnny, “Look at me. For once, don’t be a coward, and face the person who is going to take your life.”

About the Author

T.J. Loveless has been reading and writing stories since the fourth grade. A former copy/content editor at a medium sized pub house, she now spends her time writing and helping other authors reach for the stars through Cliffhanger Press, LLC.

She lives with The Writing Zoo, a Hubby who prefers her mood when writing, and a teenager who loves to tells stories of Mom on the floor trying to visualize "legs all akimbo" and the long, often yelling, conversations with the computer screen.