Ray Bradbury said, "Poetry expands the senses and keeps them in prime condition."
I wish I could write poetry to find the perfect turn of phrase, which would evoke a deep and lasting emotion for my readers but unfortunately, I can't. But I can read and enjoy the work of others. With that in mind, I thought I would share a poem that speaks to me - Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. 
There is no doubt that it was written for African American women but I believe it speaks to any woman who feels beaten down by life. Ms. Angelou tells us we can overcome and rise above the hardships and pain.
I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do.

​Hubby and I have just returned from a wonderful road trip. This time we decided to travel from our home in Edmonton, Alberta to Prince Rupert on the north coast of British Columbia. 
This was an ambitious trip for us given our time constraints. It’s 1456 km, or nearly 905 miles, one way and according to Google maps takes almost 16 hours.  
For us, the journey is always the best part of the trip and the chance to drive through the Rockies and across beautiful Northern British Columbia was too good to pass up.

The weather was gray and rainy but the mountains are always beautiful.

At a pit stop in the Rockies, I discovered that Highway 16 otherwise known as the Yellowhead Trail was named for a fur trapper known as tete jeune, which translates to yellow head. 
As a history buff, I find these details fascinating. According to George Siamandas on his Winnipeg Time Machine site:
 “The name Yellowhead came from an Iroquois Metis guide named Pierre Bostonais who worked for the Hudson Bay Company. The French voyageurs called him tete jeune which translated into yellow head because of his blonde streaked hair. Bostonais came west from Quebec to work for one of the fur trade companies at about 1800. He is first mentioned as "yellow head" in the Hudson Bay Company's 1819 records as working in the area of the Rocky Mountains.”

I also discovered that not only does Fort St. James have “World Class Chicken Racing” it also has the best advertising people.

After driving for about eight hours we stopped in Prince George. The city’s origins can be traced to a fur trading post founded in 1807 by Simon Fraser on traditional Lheidli T'enneh territory.
Sometime in the future, we will go back and explore the city known as the capital of Northern British Columbia.
For more information, you can visit the Get To Know Prince George site

Prince Rupert B.C. is probably one of the most remote cities I have ever visited. Despite its isolation, it is a bustling port city. According to the Port Authority, Prince Rupert has the deepest natural harbor in North America. It was fun to watch the cruise ships and smaller vessels from our hotel room window and realize that there are communities along the northern coast that are connected to the outside world by boat. They have no road or rail access and need to sail to Prince Rupert to buy groceries.
As well as exploring the harbor we also visited the Museum of Northern BC. This was a beautiful museum. I loved discovering the archeological evidence and learning about the First Nation peoples who have inhabited the region for millennia.

I can’t wait to go back to British Columbia for another visit.
 Do you have a favorite road trip? I'd love to hear about it :)
 

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​Held captive by violent bank robbers, they must put the betrayals of the past aside and learn to trust each other again.
 
Sophie Reed is the top criminal defense attorney in Granite City. She champions the wrongly accused and ensures the justice system works for everyone. 
 
Detective Mateo Ramirez can’t believe he used to love Sophie. Everything she does is a betrayal of his work as a cop, but when she’s near his body reminds him of just how close they used to be.
 
When they are held hostage in a bank robberythey realize their attraction for each other has never diminished, but can they overcome their conflicting viewpoints and work together. 

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Held captive by violent bank robbers, they must put the betrayals of the past aside and learn to trust each other again.
Sophie Reed is the top criminal defense attorney in Granite City. She champions the wrongly accused and ensures the justice system works for everyone. 
Detective Mateo Ramirez can’t believe he used to love Sophie. Everything she does is a betrayal of his work as a cop, but when she’s near his body reminds him of just how close they used to be.
When they are held hostage in a bank robberythey realize their attraction for each other has never diminished, but can they overcome their conflicting viewpoints and work together. 

Excerpt:

Heat coursed through Mateo’s veins as it always did whenever she was around. Her large, luminous green eyes, her upturned nose, and her smooth skin always disturbed him, throwing him off balance. He reined in his physical reaction. She was one of the most gifted lawyers he had ever encountered and could have had a career with any prosecuting attorney’s office.  But no, she had to practice as a defense attorney. It wasn’t logical, but it felt like she had betrayed him. It was as though she had gone out of her way to hurt him.
“You should’ve told Needham he’d mixed up the cases.”
She stared at him as though he’d lost his mind. “That’s crazy. It’s not my job to do his thinking for him.” She rocked back in her chair.
He either had to release his hold on the armrests or end up in her lap. He chose to stand. 
She placed her feet on her desk. The action made her skirt slip up her thighs, revealing the top of her stockings. 
He imagined running his hand over her pale, silky flesh. Back in the day, she’d had the sexiest underwear collection, and from the look of things, that hadn’t changed. Blood surged to his penis. He thumped the desk, burying his unwelcome attraction. “Bullshit. You have a responsibility—” 
“No. I have a responsibility to my client.” Her smug look told him she felt no remorse for letting a dangerous kid back onto the streets.
“You should at least have—”
“If you cared that much about the case, you should have gone to court yourself.” She crossed her ankles. Was it an intentional attempt to distract him? Maybe make him remember what it felt like to have her long, luscious legs wrapped around his waist. 
She gave him a knowing smile. She was playing with him. She knew he had a physical weakness for her and was using it to confuse him.
He shook his head, denying not only her charge, but also his own emotional turmoil. “It wasn’t my—”
“Bull.” She sat up straighter in her chair. Her skirt hitched farther up her legs. “You were off duty when you came upon the scene.” 
“We stopped to help a fellow officer.” He glanced at her breasts. Her nipples pressed against a plain white blouse that wasn’t sexy or revealing in any way, yet was somehow more enticing than her lace stockings. He licked his dry lips. He had to keep his mind on the case. “There’s nothing wrong with that?”
“Right, but why is your partner testifying in a case that clearly belongs to the patrolling officer?” 
He bent over her, closing the short distance between them so they were inches apart. “The kid was drunk.”
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze, not backing down. “He’d just lost his mother. Where’s your compassion?”
His nose was almost touching hers. “Where’s your compassion for the woman whose house he wrecked when he swerved off the road and drove into it?”
“She has house insurance and she can sue. No one was hurt.” 
“What about next time?” He was very aware of her scent, honey mixed with apples. God, he wanted to taste her.
“There won’t be a next time.” She snapped out the words like a volley from a rifle.
“You have an answer for everything. If I had any sense, I would shut you up,” he replied in the same tone. Her body, her mouth, even his own anger, were getting to him. He should back away, but he couldn’t.
“I dare you,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his.

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The first is Harlies Books
Wow.  Just wow.  This book has it all.  Thrills, lots of suspense, romance, very fast paced, a plot line that makes perfect sense, and more twists than a mountain trail.  Seriously, this book is everything I’ve been craving in a romantic suspense book for a while now.  This book moves very quickly.  Don’t even try to catch your breath and be prepared to start it and have the need to finish it in one sitting.
David and Marie are some of the more mismatched people that an author can come up with as a hero and heroine.  Sure, we’ve all read the alpha Special Forces hero to the rescue of the naive, sheltered scientist but Ms. Kelly gives them qualities that they didn’t even think they had themselves.  Marie does not come off as helpless, just confused.  David is the biggest marshmallow and he knows it.  He just doesn’t like to admit it to many people.  Also, their backstories are powerful and lend themselves to the overall arc of the book and to the relationship.
I wish I could go into the plot with a lot of detail but that would spoil it.  Let’s just say that Ms. Kelly sets up the whole story up from the beginning with most of the major players in place.  You know the major plot points but Ms. Kelly has a way of throwing you off guard and decides she needs to add a person or two to really shake it up.  I’m looking forward to her other stories in this series to further explore that.  And yes, I can’t talk about it because, well, you just have to read the book and trust me, you will be gobsmacked.  In fact, in some ways, it’s still processing in my head.
I can not tell you how much this book meant to me.  It surprised me, left my neck hurting not to mention my fingers wrapped around my Kindle and can’t wait to dive into the next one in the series.  Ms. Kelly is just brilliant in her storytelling, characterization and taking the romantic suspense/thriller genre to a whole new level.  I can’t believe that I’m just finding out about her and the books that she has written.
Don’t do what I did and find out about her too late.  You will definitely be sorry and kick yourself for it.

The second is from The Reading Addict
Sun Storm by Marlow Kelly follows inventor and scientist, Dr. Marie Wilson, as she struggles to finally have her work validated, only to discover that her portable solar panel may be worth killing for. Forced to escape with a man whose loyalties are questionable, Marie must quickly determine who to trust with her very life, with a fatal outcome if she’s mistaken.

This romantic suspense story is the first book in ‘The Gathering Storm’ series and provides an exciting tension-filled read. There are delightful twists and I liked the way clues are gradually revealed, plus the hero is a war-wounded ex-military man who backs into the role of rescuer but is definitely up for the challenge. I was less impressed with the naivete of the brilliant scientist who can come up with such wonderful ideas yet has no idea about certain major issues in both her personal and professional lives. Many of the secondary characters are almost caricatures but I would definitely be interested in learning more about a certain couple of FBI agents. For me, the mysterious arch-villains seem a little over the top, and although I liked that one of the bad guys got his comeuppance, the scene strayed into territory that felt better suited to a 007 story. Despite these minor irritants, I enjoyed the story and the sometimes madcap interactions between the main characters and I recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting adventure.
​

There are two stops on this weeks review tour.
The first is The Avid Reader
"​Sun Storm is a very intense and suspenseful read that had me hooked from the first page. It started out with action from the beginning and didn’t let up until the very end. It had me racing through the pages rooting for Marie and David hoping that they were going to make it out alive. The suspense was so invigorating that it keep the adrenaline pumping.  

Sun Storm is great introduction into The Gathering Storm series. The characters are all so warm and welcoming drawing you into their lives and making you fall in love with them. You wish that you were there with them to give them a hand. I would love to see more of these characters in future stories. 

I would recommend Sun Storm to all fans of suspense or romantic novels with a whole lot of action."

The second is from Sharing Links and Wisdom

"This was a fun, straightforward, and action-packed adventure. We knew who the bad guys were and why they were doing this. While I’ll admit this did get a tad boring at times, the romance and unexpected details helped spice it up and keep me reading. For example, the scientific background of the story was thought out and plausible, rather than just being used as a plot device, which was a nice bonus. 

In addition, I liked Marie and David and their unusual initial meeting. I won’t spoil why, but let’s just say it’s not what I was expecting. Plus, the witty banter between the two was a nice counterpart to the suspense and action.

Overall, while the suspense sometimes hit some ups and downs, the overall story and characters provided a fun, light-hearted romantic suspense journey."

There are two stops on this week’s review tour.
The first, Locks, Hooks and Books
 
Sun Storm is my first introduction to Marlow Kelly’s writing. It, also, begins The Gathering Storm series. I had no problem having it read in a few hours. The suspense and mystery made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next with Dr Marie Wilson and David Quinn. 
 
I give Sun Storm four and a half stars. I look forward to the next installment from The Gathering Storm series. 

The second, Our Town Book Reviews
 
A really tough book to put down. This is a good thriller with lots of twists and turns. Marie is a child prodigy, a scientist trying to create another source of energy for us. A small mobile type of solar energy. One to help med units, army units, people living in the wild, well many, many things. Enough things to make the big companies nervous enough to make sure she can’t sell it. One of the guys that intends to make sure she can’t sell it was told she stole it and he intends to get it back for his company. David, a decorated soldier, has no idea that a killing is in the planning. 
 
This is a different sort of plot; maybe a little more modern than what you might be used to. Different enough to keep me reading and good enough to keep me guessing a little at who would be good and who would be bad. This is not a book with a huge amount of main characters although there are several characters involved. I had no problem knowing “who was who”, so to speak. I think that’s because Kelly did a very good job with defining her characters. Each seemed to have his or her own unique personality. There is a little romance in this book; not enough to ruin the book for me. It is more romance in the sense of desire than sex (can there be a difference for that). 
 
Sun Storm is Book 1 of a series titled “The Gathering Storm Series”. Marlow Kelly has several books published, all with good reviews.

​This is a review tour for Sun Storm. A $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC will be awarded to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. There are weekly stops with one review being posted today and two reviews each week until 26th March.
No purchase is required for entry.
All you have to do is visit these sites on the dates listed and enter the rafflecopter.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Looking for a book where the action starts right off and never really slows down? This would be a very good choice for you!
Just a few pages into this story, our heroine, Marie, is alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere when four men with guns burst in through the door. She’s dressed in long underwear and nothing else, and does whatever she can to escape. Thankfully, one of the men has a change of heart when he realizes what they are actually up to, and helps.
I liked Marie right off. It’s funny, she has this idea that she’s a frightened, incapable woman (I blame this on her good-for-nothing father) but she manages to escape more than once from the people trying to capture or kill her. She’s smart and actually pretty darn fearless. I guess we never know what we’re capable of until we’re put into a situation where we have to step up or die. She was, thankfully, never stupid (okay, one time I questioned what she did, but…) and always smart and brave.
I like David, too. He really just wants to live his life off the grid in peace, but finds himself smack dab in the middle of trouble. Never one to take injustice lying down, he does everything he can to figure out who’s on his side and who isn’t, and to protect Marie.
The suspense portion of this book is pretty well spot on. Lots of action, lots of intrigue, never entirely knowing who’s a good guy and who isn’t (with some exceptions). The suspense and action kept me turning pages. I read this book in just a couple of days because it definitely held my interest. I was honestly surprised to find out one of the cops was not what I thought he was at the end. And I do hope to see the head of the Syndicate get their comeuppance (what a horrible sociopath that person turned out to be).
The romance portion took a little suspension of disbelief. It’s not that Marie and David didn’t have chemistry–the absolutely did. My big issue is, I’m not a fan of “instalove” and these two weren’t together long before they were madly in love with each other. I remember a line from the movie “Speed” where Sandra Bullock’s character says, “…relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last.” And I always wonder about that when I read this type of book. They meet while dodging bullets, the spend every minute running and dodging bullets and proclaim their love for each other in a few days. What happens when they settle down, raise bees, live a quiet life? Again, I honestly think these two will be fine because at heart they’re both really kind of quiet homebodies, but I probably would have been happier with a “happy for now” than an “HEA” in this case (and, since this is the start of a series, we could see the relationship develop some as the other books are released).
The thing I liked best about this book was the clear, strong relationship the friends had with each other. Clearly there is absolute trust between them, and each would do anything to help one of the others. I like Michael the best of the group (outside of David, of course), but Finn was interesting as well, and were their tidbits of a “twin bond” between Sinclair and David that might come up again? Only time will tell. I’m a sucker for character driven stories, and despite the action here, it was the strong, interesting characters that kept me reading.
This is a great start to what promises to be an intriguing series.

​This is a review tour for Sun Storm. A $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC will be awarded to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. There are weekly stops with one review being posted today and two reviews each week until 26th March.
No purchase is required for entry.
All you have to do is visit these sites on the dates listed and enter the rafflecopter.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
To enter go to The Long and Short Reviews