Book Review: Raven's Wrath (Task Force Raven Origins Novella) by Sam Stone

Raven's Wrath: A Task Force Raven Origins Novella by Sam Stone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unrelenting action and pulse-pounding excitement as a Green Beret mountain warfare specialization team engages deadly Haqqani fighters in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley.

Raven’s Wrath by Sam Stone is a pulse-pounding military thriller about a Green Beret mountain warfare specialization team on a recon assignment in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley. The novella lays the groundwork for the relationships and shared experiences of the team members for the author’s upcoming Texas-set Task Force Raven series.

Captain Jake Baylor and his brothers-in-arms are ambushed by a large, organized force of Haqqani fighters while on recon, traversing the mountainous passages of the Shok Valley. While gravely outnumbered and not in the best defensive position, the team is holding its own, but in order to make it out alive, they must somehow turn the tables, making their hunters the ones who are hunted.

Jake Baylor is a born warrior and leader whose natural skills are honed by intense training. He’s also a true son of Texas with generational roots in the state going back to Sam Houston himself. I liked how Houston’s history is woven into Baylor’s with the hand-me-down war tomahawk and the use of Houston’s Cherokee moniker of “The Raven” for his present-day descendant. Jake is all business and keeps the welfare of his command in mind, even as he must make life-and-death assignments.

While action-packed and heart-poundingly exciting, the descriptions of each man on the team to the cinematically envisioned desert-to-mountain settings are amazingly detailed and realistic without slowing the story down one iota. I could almost feel their surroundings and smell the fumes of destruction and the results of their fighting.

The foreshadowing of the danger ahead on the team’s mission gave me eerie prickles on the back of my neck as Jake and Turner both sensed something was “off.” Their nighttime trek on foot toward the Haqqani stronghold was riveting, edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. The Special Forces team is absolutely resolute in the face of the onslaught by opponents who are persistent but with ill-placed determination. Sergeant Joe Garza comes by his nickname of “Joker’ honestly and has some stellar quips to alleviate a little of the tension throughout their ordeal. Considering this is just the introduction, I can hardly wait for the meat of the series to get underway.

I recommend RAVEN’S WRATH to readers of military thrillers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Book Tour & Giveaway: Fiddling With Death (Josh Kavanaugh Thrillers, #3) by Lloyd Lofthouse

Fiddling With Death

Josh Kavanaugh Thriller series, Book Three

by

Lloyd Lofthouse

Military / Action / Suspense / Thriller

Publisher: Three Clover Press

Publication Date: February 10, 2025

Page count: 274 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

Smug tyrants. Battered heroes. With an insider thwarting their every move, can these resourceful special operatives defend democracy?

Josh Kavanaugh refuses to give up. After surviving severe injuries trying to protect a lover, the determined former military man vows to find the people responsible and deliver payback. But with a mole in his group of contractors and corruption running deep, any operation could prove deadly.

Slipping into Russia on a dark mission with a hybrid team and going undercover as a circus act complete with an untamed grizzly, Kavanaugh makes the long trek to Moscow. But with their target well-connected to Vladimir Putin himself, they find themselves caught in a crossfire between the secret police and the mob.

Can he survive yet another betrayal to root out a threat to U.S. intelligence?

Fiddling with Death is the nail-biting third book in the Josh Kavanaugh Thrillers series. If you like gritty heroes, high-octane action, and accurate descriptions of weapons and tactics, then you’ll love Lloyd Lofthouse’s twisty tale.

Buy Fiddling with Death to play with fire today!

 

Catch up on the previous books, Book One, The Patriot Oath will be on sale at $0.99 starting February 11 through the 17th! 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lloyd Lofthouse is a US Marine (1965—1968) and combat veteran. After the Marines, he attended college with a little help from the GI Bill (1968 – 1973). During his first year of college in 1968, Lloyd heard Ray Bradbury speak and got bit by the writing bug. Lloyd went on to earn a BA in journalism and later an MFA. During his early years as a full-time teacher (1975-2005), Lloyd worked nights and weekends as a maître d’ for a night-club restaurant.

 

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Release Blitz: Dead Calm (Axel Blaze Crime Action Thriller, #8) by Bill Runner

Dead Calm

Axel Blaze Crime Action Thriller, Book 8

by

Bill Runner

Action / Thriller

Publisher: Runner House Books

Publication Date: September 22, 2024

Page count: 227 pages

SYNOPSIS:

One man rises from the stillness, unleashing hell's fury. They call him Blaze. 

Dead Calm takes readers into Blaze’s past as a US Army Ranger. In the harsh Afghan terrain, Captain Axel Blaze faces his toughest mission yet: honoring a dying friend’s plea to rescue his children from the Taliban's clutches.

Blaze infiltrates deep into enemy territory. He finds an ally in CIA Deputy Director Davis, whose daughter, Madison, has been taken hostage. As Blaze and his Rangers wreak hell on the Taliban, they uncover a drugs, arms and sex trafficking network with links to the Bulgarian mafia.

The hunt takes Blaze from the unforgiving Afghan terrain to the back alleys of Sofia, Bulgaria. Powerful people operating with impunity. Until they come in the crosshairs of a man called Blaze.

Page-turning thrillers in the lone ranger tradition of Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp and The Gray Man novels. The fast-paced, brutal action in the Blaze series is attracting thriller readers worldwide.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bill Runner cut his teeth as an investigative journalist, plunging into the gritty underbelly of crime, before turning to writing edge-of-your-seat thrillers. Raised on a steady diet of westerns and lone ranger sagas, Bill’s real-life encounters with rogues and heroes shaped his electrifying protagonist, Axel Blaze. An adrenaline junkie at heart, Bill is a seasoned mountain climber and paraglider, and also a lifelong student of martial arts. Working the crime beat and studying the art of fighting honed his skills to craft pulse-pounding thrillers, renowned for their razor-sharp action sequences. You can find out more about Bill at his FB profile under the name Bill Runner Author.

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Book Review: Dangerous Currents (Frank Dalton Thriller, #1) by Jonathan Shipperley

Dangerous Currents : A Frank Dalton Thriller by Jonathan Shipperley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pulse-pounding action and an intriguing murder investigation featuring special agents of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Dangerous Currents is the first book in Jonathan Shipperley’s intriguing series featuring U.S. Coast Guard Special Agent Frank Dalton. With its appealingly relatable, regular-Joe protagonist, compelling plot, and engaging storytelling, I was hooked from the very first page.

Frank Dalton is a chief warrant officer assigned to the Coast Guard Investigative Services and stationed at the Sector Command Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. With 18 years of service under his belt, he is feeling the wear and tear of the job and the ennui of the day-to-day. Kicking back on his annual leave, he’s beginning to feel the need for something new; he’s still in his 30s, after all. His sudden recall to duty by the special agent-in-charge, cutting his leave short, to investigate the accidental drowning death of a commercial fishing boat captain is all kinds of unusual, and the assignment of a new partner, recently out of the academy, to assist in his investigation doesn’t improve his mood.

Special Agent Jessica Carter, the fresh young ensign with a reputation that precedes her, is Frank’s new partner. While he was primary on the investigation and ordered to mentor Jessica in her new role, she had been told the case was her opportunity to lead. With their conflicting expectations, their initial partnering is frustrating, awkward, and was foundering. While immediately a fan of Frank’s, it took me a good minute to warm up to Jessica, but I eventually did in spades. I enjoyed the gradual way their relationship worked out, and they became a successful working team and more. I liked how both were able to tune in to their more intuitive perceptions of the world around them (i.e., they could feel someone had been on Frank's boat, Ghost, and had upset the subconscious feeling that it was a safe and protective place.)

Rather than a who-done-it, the plot involves seeking out the why and gathering the evidence needed to prove it and bring the bad guys to justice. There was a constant tension and an unnerving feeling that some hidden someone was watching their every move. Frank and Jessica are always about a half-step behind the perpetrators until they work out why. There are adrenaline-pumping, danger-filled action sequences with shocking twists that made me gasp out loud. I did not want to put this book down.

The Texas Gulf Coast and Corpus Christi descriptions were vivid and evocative, and specific details really brought the location to life. The author’s descriptions of the dry, flat topography further inland were dead on, and he nailed the impressions of driving down Ocean Drive and hanging out at the T-Head.

This book is a page-turner with a riveting mystery and an unrelenting and treacherous villain. I recommend DANGEROUS CURRENTS to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who enjoy stories with a professional investigator or U.S. Coast Guard connection or Texas coastal setting.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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