Book Watch: OPERATION: JADE HELMET by Ashley Fontainne #bookwatch

 

When the game begins, everything changes…

By Ashley Fontainne

Title: OPERATION: JADE HELMET
Author: Ashley Fontainne
Publisher: RMSW PRESS
Pages: #314
Genre: Christian Fiction/Suspense/Futuristic

BOOK BLURB:

Eager fans around the world played Operation Red Helmet for years, making it the highest-grossing virtual reality game ever sold, and the designers, The Talladav Group, are the richest company on earth.

After an oppressive, unrelenting worldwide heatwave hits, daily life grinds to a halt around the globe. People retreat to their homes, afraid to go out as violence and chaos erupt in the streets. The game temporarily shuts down as the world grapples with the fallout of civil unrest and critical infrastructure breakdowns, forever altering society.

When governments take over control and infrastructures are replaced and back online, the top players of the previous version receive a mysterious box marked, Operation Jade Helmet. The new version is the first-ever total immersion VR experience and inside each box is a free headset and personal code to play a week before release to the general public. The lucky winners don their newest obsession and impatiently wait for the game to begin. Unfortunately, they are about to discover Operation Jade Helmet is unlike any other game, and when the game begins, everything changes.

“Ashley Fontainne takes the genre of Christian Paranormal Thriller to the next level in Operation Jade Helmet. Signs of the end-times are upon us in a not-so-distant future as the world is experiencing a cataclysmic heatwave and society as a whole is addicted to social media and gaming like never before. Bringing in some of her well-known characters from her Legion Novella Series,  Fontainne weaves together multiple and terrifying plot-lines as this story comes to a nail-biting head in a vivid spiritual and physical battle that will hit close to home for many readers.

Fans of Fontainne’s Legion Novella Series will recall the boy, Tyler Tidwell, and his battle demons. Well, those demons are at it again, and Tidwell, while he doesn’t take center stage in this story, does play a crucial role as a retired and faithful pastor who stands against the darkness that even resides in his church, while threatening his family. Less I give the impression that’s all there is, there are many other memorable characters whose storylines weave and arc together in this complex and intricate story.

From page one, Fontainne immediately thrusts the reader into the action of this story, adding dark intrigue with a mysterious figure that even the supposed “bad guys” seem to fear. Truly, I remained on the edge of my seat to the very end of this story, even enjoying the didactic aspects of this story. Much like Frank Perretti’s This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness and Prophet, Fontainne’s Operation Jade Helmet is a cautionary tale that feels far too real to be read as mere allegory. Indeed, it is written as a prophetic glimpse of a future five years hence – one that is far too vividly captured to be passed up as mere speculation. “

– Readers’ Favorite, 5 stars

 

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3kmxHKS

B&N → https://bit.ly/2NvARQL

Apple → https://apple.co/3kmyqvA

Kobo → https://bit.ly/3aUPR3n

Check out my book at Goodreads!

Award-winning and International bestselling author, Ashley Fontainne, is an avid reader, becoming a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters lurking within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go to when seeking personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated against them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance, focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. Once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answers that question—far and wide.

The short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five touches upon the dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards.

The paranormal thriller entitled The Lie won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense. A movie based on this book, entitled Foreseen, is currently a feature film available on video-on-demand from Amazon.

Ashley delved into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell released in September of 2014. Ashley teamed up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her Mom!) and penned a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, released in 2015 and was voted one of the Top 50 Self-Published Books You Should Be Reading in 2015 at www.readfree.ly.

Whispered Pain released in October of 2015, and Night Court released December 13, 2015.

Tainted Cure, Tainted Reality, Tainted Future, and Tainted World are the four books in the post-apocalyptic/zombie genre, The Rememdium Series, all released to rave reviews for a fresh take on the zombie genre.

Ruined Wings is about a young woman’s descent into drug addiction and is currently a short film. The movie is free to watch and share with others in hopes of starting a positive dialogue regarding addiction. https://ruinedwings.com/

Fatal Agreements won the 2019 Independent Audio Awards for best female narrator, Andrea Emmes.

The Legion Series ~ Many ~ Madness ~ Mayhem released in 2019-2020 and delves with the struggles people face with demonic entities.

Sign up below for Ashley’s newsletter and receive a free ebook!

https://ashleyfontainne.net

Website: http://www.ashleyfontainne.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.fontainne

Movie site: http://www.foreseenmovie.com

 

SUBURBIA MADE ME DO IT

TAINTED FUTURE

BLOOD LOSS

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Book Watch: THE FRAGILE ONES by Jennifer Chase #bookwatch

 

An absolutely gripping mystery and suspense novel…

By Jennifer Chase

Title: THE FRAGILE ONES
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 300
Genre: Crime Thriller

BOOK BLURB:

“Please Mommy, can Tessa and I go play on the swing by the creek?” the little girl begs, pushing a blonde curl from her eyes. “We’ll stay together, and we promise to be safe.” Hours later, their mother waits anxiously for her darling girls to arrive home with a list of reasons why they are late. But the front door never opens…

When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.

Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.

Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area. Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?

A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!

Wow!!!… a page-turning, nail-biting crime thriller!!… absolutely fantastic… had me completely hooked… filled with nail-biting suspense… keeps you on edge.’ Bookworm86, 5 stars

‘Excellent… nail-biting… had me enthralled from page one… gripped through each twist and turn… jaw-dropping and totally unexpected… brilliant.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘My heart was in my throat… kept me tapping my e-reader screen.’ Robin Loves Reading, 5 stars

‘Oh, my goodness!… non-stop!’ Diane is Reading, 5 stars

‘THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN!!!!!… I was literally holding my breath… I HAD TO KNOW!!!!! As for the explosive ending? WOW definitely not what or who I was expecting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

PROLOGUE

“Please can we go?” whined Tessa as she followed her mother through the living room and into the kitchen. “Please,” she said again, pushing her blonde curls away from her eyes. “I really want to go to the swing by the creek.”

“Not by yourself,” countered Mrs. Mayfield, ignoring her daughter’s angry stare. “We’ve talked about this before.”

“Yes, and you said I couldn’t go alone, and I’m not. Megan will be with me.” Tessa’s older sister was barely a year older and her best friend. Her mother began emptying the dishwasher, putting plates and glasses away in the cabinet. It was unclear if she was thinking about what Tessa had said or not, so she tried again. “I’m almost eleven and Megan is almost twelve. We’re practically teenagers,” she said. “Besides, Janey and her brother will probably be there.”

Mrs. Mayfield laughed. “You know, you would be a good lawyer the way you make your case.”

“I don’t want to be a lawyer. I’m going to be a vet,” Tessa said, grinning.

“Well, I know you are going to be whatever you want to be.” Mrs. Mayfield laughed to herself as she slipped the last piece of silverware into the drawer and turned to face her daughter. At the sound of her name, Megan had joined Tessa in the doorway and they both stood quietly waiting for an answer. Glancing at the wall clock with a sigh, she said, “You both have to be back by four thirty, not a second later. Understand?”

“Thank you! Thank you!” Tessa said, grabbing her sister’s hand in glee. Both girls were in denim shorts and pastel T-shirts with their favorite matching blue sneakers.

“Be home on time,” their mom called after them.

“We will,” chimed the girls.

Mrs. Mayfield heard the front door shut, followed by the sound of running footsteps.

She smiled and went back to her chores as the afternoon ticked by.

 

At 4:45 p.m. Mrs. Mayfield was waiting impatiently to hear the girls enter the house with a list of a dozen reasons why they were late—but the front door never opened. An hour after that, unable to wait any longer, she looked outside, thinking that the girls might be in the yard.

Debris from a croquet set littered the lawn; the wooden mallets abandoned and colored balls scattered as if the girls had been playing only moments ago. The trampoline in the corner had one of the girls’ bright blue sweatshirts hanging on the edge. It swayed slightly in the breeze.

There was no sign of them.

She ran through the house to the backyard, but it, too, was deserted. No whispers. No giggles. No shrieks of laughter. The wind was picking up and whistling through the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees—almost whispering a warning.

Mrs. Mayfield pulled off her apron and reached for her coat, deciding to walk to the creek and bring the girls back herself. At this point, she was more angry than concerned, knowing how they could be forgetful when they were having fun, and often lost track of time.

But surely they would be on their way home by now? she thought to herself as her pace quickened from a fast walk to a jog. Against her better judgment, and knowing that she couldn’t shelter them forever, she had crumbled and let them go down to the creek where one of the neighboring boys had constructed a swing that they loved to play on.

And now fear ripped through her body. “Tessa!” she yelled. “Megan!” Terrible scenarios shuffled through her thoughts as she tried desperately to keep her emotions on an even keel.

“Tessa! Megan!”

She yelled their names over and over until her voice went hoarse. Her chest felt strangely heavy and her vision blurred as she ran, but her strength and mother’s instinct pushed her forward, down the trail leading to the creek. The trail was well-worn by local kids looking for adventure and fun. Stumbling as she ran, she frantically turned left and then right. There wasn’t a soul around… She was alone. She kept moving.

Looking up at the tall pine trees, everything spun in a dizzying blur of forest and darkening sky. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and open again, then stopped for a moment to listen.

The swing was only visible at the bottom of the path just above the creek and she could hear the water rushing below. Peering over the edge, there was no sign of them—or anyone. She kept turning, expecting to see her girls everywhere she looked. They weren’t there. All around her were discarded candy wrappers and remnants of fast food containers. Proof that children played here often.

There was no sound apart from the whisper of the trees. No children laughing nearby.

“Megan! Tessa!” she yelled again, but there was only silence. She ran all the way up the trail to the street, still calling their names in a full-blown panic.

Mrs. Mayfield turned her attention up the road, her mother’s instinct in high gear. Something blue lying beneath a bush caught her eye and she ran towards it.

She leaned down and her hand trembled over the light blue canvas before she forced herself to grab the abandoned blue sneaker.

“No,” she said, barely breathing.

Written on the side tread of the shoe with a thick black pen was one word: Tessa.

https://amzn.to/38AVsdG

  

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

LAST GIRLS ALIVE

LITTLE GIRLS SLEEPING

FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

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Character Q&A: Ting Chen of Deven Greene's UNNATURAL

 

It's Character Interview Day! 

Today's guest is Ting Chen from inside the pages of UNNATURAL by Deven Greene.  It is a pleasure to have her with us at The Literary Nook!

What is your name?

Ting Chen

What do you look like?

I am a Chinese woman of average height, in my early thirties. I have short, straight, black hair and brown eyes. I am thin and muscular, as I was a world-class athlete in years past. I don’t know if I am pretty. I suppose I am, because I gained the attention of a very accomplished, yet evil man. My looks are not important to me. I have more pressing things to think about.

Where are you today and what are you doing?

I am in my small, run-down apartment in San Francisco Chinatown. I live from day-to-day, trying to survive and keep my two children who are with me safe.

You come face to face with your worse enemy. How do you react?

I have already come face to face with him. Despite the danger, I rejected him and am now paying the price. I hope I never have to see him again. If I do, I will reject him again.

You keep a photo album of memories from your lifetime. If you could only keep one photo, which one would that be?

I would want a picture of my parents to remind me of my happy childhood before I left home.

A police officer stops you for a minor violation. What violation is that and how do you react?

Ever since entering this country illegally, I have obeyed the law. I don’t know how to drive, so I would never get a traffic ticket. If I ever broke a law, it would be by accident. I would be very frightened if questioned by a police officer. My illegal status would be discovered, and I would be sent back to China with the two children I escaped with. As I am considered an enemy and a traitor, I would serve a long sentence in a prison camp if I weren’t executed.

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

I only have two pairs of pants and three shirts. I have no favorites.

Do you have any phobias? What are they and how intense are they? How have they impacted your life?

I have no phobias. I am only afraid of real things, things I must run from.

Open your wallet, purse, or briefcase. What do you find?

In my small purse I have a cell phone and a small amount of cash. Nothing of value, other than my gun, of course. No credit cards or identification. I am very poor.

How do you feel about mortality?

I would happily die for my children.

What scares you?

I worry about the future health of my children, who are the products of embryonic stem cell gene editing. On top of that, I worry about the son I have with me because the Chinese government wants to murder him.

How would your parents describe you?

My parents are dead. When they were alive, they were proud I was such a fast runner. We were poor, but I was happy before I left. I hope that is how they remembered me before their deaths.

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed at night?

I check my children.

Who is your best friend?

In this country, that would be Ebba. I knew her in China, and she is the only person here that I trust completely. She helps me whenever she can. She tries to give me money, but I won’t take it.

Who is your worse enemy?

Peng Yang, the father of my children.

Are you faith-oriented?

I have no faith.

Are you married or in a relationship?

No. I have never been married. I do not have time for a relationship.

Do you have children?

I have a boy and a girl with me. I was forced to leave my infant son in China and hope to get him back someday.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An Olympic champion. If I had not been injured in an accident, I might have been a world champion.

If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would that be?

I would not want to have any athletic ability. That gift has ruined my life.

 

About the Book   

Dr. Erica Rosen is perplexed when she sees a young Chinese girl with blue eyes in her San Francisco pediatrics clinic. The girl’s mother, Ting, is secretive, and Erica suspects she has entered the country illegally. Later, Erica encounters Ting’s son and discovers he has an unusual mutation. Erica learns that Ting’s children underwent embryonic stem cell gene editing as part of a secret Chinese government-run program.

The Chinese government wants to murder Ting’s son to prevent others from learning about his unusual mutation and the secret gene-editing program. At Ting’s urging, Erica heads to China to expose the program and rescue the infant Ting was forced to leave behind, all while attempting to evade the watchful eye of the Chinese government.

PRAISE

A compelling and richly woven story, perfect for those looking for their new favorite thriller! 

The UC San Francisco pediatric clinic is a lively and bustling facility where every sort of injury and infirmity has been seen, diagnosed and treated. That is, until the day a Chinese migrant named Ting brings her daughter in for an evaluation. The striking girl is truly an anomaly, bearing genetically impossible bright blue eyes. Dr. Erica Rosen presses Ting for information, but Ting is paranoid, evasive and overly protective of her family’s privacy. Things become more puzzling when Ting ends up in the ER with a wounded young son and insists that someone is trying to kill the boy. Shocking test results, a second attempt on the boy’s life and a missing phlebotomist are just the beginning of a riveting tale of government conspiracy, medical mystery and dangerous close-calls.

Unnatural is a flawlessly written medical thriller that focuses on a Chinese mother who will sacrifice everything to save her children. Erica is a bold protagonist who follows her instincts to some amazing discoveries. The narrative is driven by intelligent dialogue and a clever, yet heinous, plot. The cultural aspects between Ting and Erica feel authentic and the technical medical language is just complicated enough to feel genuine without becoming difficult to read. Deven Greene has created a truly gripping international thriller with just the right amount of humanity and compassion.  Unnatural, the first in the Erica Rosen MD Trilogy, is a compelling and richly woven story, perfect for those looking for a new favorite thriller!

–Indies Today 

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3qq7nli

Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/3baCBGJ

 

About the Author 

Fiction writer Deven Greene lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Ever since childhood, Deven has been interested in science.  After working as a biochemist, she went back to school and became a pathologist.  When writing fiction, the author usually incorporates elements of medicine or science. Deven has penned several short stories. Unnatural is the first novel the author has published.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.devengreene.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/devengreeneauthor