Title: Chain Reaction
Series: Phenom League, Book 1
Author: T. C. Archer
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Ebook
Words: 65,000
Book Description:
Former
Chicago Detective Jordan Pierce put his life on hold in order to protect
America's secret weapon against the Nazis, The Manhattan Project. But he can't
protect himself as his humanity is eaten
away by a mysterious disease that destroys him, while at the same time makes
him more powerful than any man he's ever known. Jordan finds out how much the
disease has devoured his soul when he falls in love with the woman who might
destroy America and tear apart his last shred of humanity.
Buy Links:
My Review:
This story was a nice surprise for me. I don’t
normally read suspenseful who done it and generally shy away from war time spy stories.
I went out of my comfort zone on reading Chain Reaction and am so glad I did
and give this story 5 stars!
The author immersed me into Jordan Pierce’s world
of intrigue and espionage while mixing in lots of twists and turns into the
history during the WWII time period. I loved the paranormal aspect of the story.
Jordan is on a mission of revenge after he is attacked in an alleyway and
infected with a disease which gives him strange abilities.
Based in Chicago, Pierces is head of the night security
for the Manhattan Project. While investigating murders of the scientist, he
meets Dr. Gladys Nichols who he is instantly attracted to.
He doesn’t know if he can trust her, evidence leads
to her being part of the spy network when he discovers her brother is being
held hostage.
Jordan finds that he is not the only one with
special abilities when he is introduced to the Phenom League. With supernatural
abilities and extraordinary powers, the group of people have banned together to
right the wrongs in the world.
Chain Reaction was a great start to the series and
I am excited to learn more about this Phenom League and see what happens with
Dr. Nichols brother.
Interview Questions:
Yay, I get two for
one!
Please
describe Chain Reaction in 25 words or less:
For love of country
and a woman, Jordan Pierce must sacrifice his humanity.
What
inspires you to your stories?
Shawn: Absolutely everything.
Evan: Life itself. Something will happen that will cause a story
to blossom in my mind. Often it's an image or someone will say something.
Do
you have a special place you write?
Shawn: I write anywhere I can. At home, I live at my desk.
Evan: My favorite place to write is sitting the Morris chair I
built myself. The arms are wide and level allowing me to set up my research
materials or laptop on them.
Do
you have a playlist while writing, anything special you do while you write?
Shawn: No special playlist. I do love country music, though.
Evan: I turn on the TV to a show I'm not particularly interested
in or a movie that fits with the theme or tone of the story I'm working on.
What
do you do when you get writers block?
Shawn: Read or write something different
Evan: I start writing back story or internal monologue of my
character. This stuff is almost never used, but it gets me writing again.
How
long does it take you to write a story?
Depends on the length of the story. a book the length of Chain
Reaction, with all the research, takes about a year.
How
many books have you written? Are they part of a series?
We have written about a dozen books. Chain Reaction, however, is
the first in our Phenom League series. More to come!
What
other project are you working on?
We are currently working on the next two books in the Phenom
League series: Desert Fox is about Arimus, a five thousand year old
mummy who must protect his pharaoh’s resting place against Rommel during the
battle of El Alamein. Only he doesn’t count on becoming a british soldier to
fulfill his duty…or falling in love with a beautiful archaeologist.
The third book is yet untitled, and is about Harry Armstrong, a
WWI pilot who died in battle, but never crossed over. He must discover if the
Nazis in Chauny France have uncovered the underground railroad that smuggles
allied soldiers to safety. but the discovery he makes on this assignment could
change the war.
If
your book(s) were made into a TV Series, what actors would you choose to play
your characters?
ROFL. I'm thinking Jason Statham (from the Transporters movies) as
Jordon Pierce.
What
is your favorite paranormal movie?
Shawn: I’m a romantic. My favorite paranormal movie is ghost.
Evan: The Shining.
Who
are your favorite authors?
Shawn: Stephen King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury
Evan: Arthur C. Clarke, Philip Roth.
Do
you read the genre’s you write?
Shawn: Yes!
Evan: Yes. It’s absolutely necessary to know what works and what
doesn't from a technical point of view.
What
are your next 5 books on your too be read pile?
Shawn: Warrior by Zoe Archer, Soulless by Gail Carriger, Talgorian
Prophecy by Melissa Alvarez, Moons’ Kiss by Kimberly Comeau (I’m rereading this
book!) and Heir by Grace Burrowes.
Evan: Dead Giveaway by Brenda Novak, Star Carrier by Ian Douglas,
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. Steampunk'd anthology, Once Bitten by Stephen Leather.
If
you could date one of your characters, who would it be? Why?
Shawn: Well, in our Phenom League series, Jordan Pierce of Chain
Reaction would be a very cool guy to date. A cop who suddenly finds himself
with superhuman powers has got to be a spectacular date!
Evan: I always try to write my heroines as the kind of women I
would date. I would definitely like to date Ethel Standish from Chain Reaction.
First of all, she's British and a long-standing member of the Phenom League.
She's strong, independent, and a brilliant chemist (ignoring her body that a
man could die for).
What
has one of your fans said that has made your day?
“I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!”
Do
you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Write, read, write, write more, then write some more.
Anything
else you would like to add?
Thanks so much for having us!
Quickies:
Vampire
or Werewolf
Shawn: I can never decide!
Evan: Vampires.
Beach
or Mountains
Shawn: OMG, I can’t choose either of these either. I’ve lived in
both places, and love them both.
Evan: Beach. I love to bask in the sun and play volleyball.
Coffee
or Tea
Shawn: Coffee, with tea as a close second. (I’m not easy to get
along with, am I?)
Evan: Coffee. I drink it all day (decaf after 9 a.m.)
Wake
early or sleep in
Shawn: ROFL. Want to sleep in, but always get up early.
Evan: Wake early. I'm a morning person and I love to get up early
and get some writing done before anyone else gets up.
Excerpt:
A moment later, I halted in front of
the closed door where Dr Nichols waited. The name painted on the glass read: Dr
Enrico Roma, the alias of the great scientist and Nobel Prize laureate Enrico
Fermi. The alias didn't fool anybody but the ignorant. Light shone through the
milky glass window. I blew out a breath. The last thing I wanted to do was
interrogate a hysterical woman.
I opened the door and stopped dead at
the sight of a shapely blonde leaning against Fermi's mahogany desk. I stared
as realization sunk in that the Veronica Lake look-alike standing there was the
same egghead pictured in her personnel file. The glasses she'd worn were absent
and, despite the red-rimmed eyes and drawn expression, the single overhead
light warmed the creamy complexion that had looked bland and colorless in the
photo.
Thick blond hair slid across her face
in a broad wave and flowed down slim shoulders. Suddenly, I understood the
reasoning behind the functional bun in the picture. Despite the legs that
mesmerized a man all the way down to the high heel straps, the tweed skirt and
blazer she wore emphatically stated the bombshell figure was off limits. But
the moment a man laid eyes on her luxurious hair all bets were off. My breath
caught with bloodlust as I drew in her scent from across the room.
Gray-blue eyes stared from behind the
drape of blond hair. Her gaze flicked to my waistband and I realized she'd
glimpsed the colt holstered beneath my suit jacket.
"You
wear your gun like a gangster," she said.
I startled. Her voice, low and sultry, held a shaky note,
but I knew the remark was payment for my staring.
"This incident requires I carry a
weapon." My drill sergeant used to berate any reference to the word gun.
"Your gun is between your legs, son. Your pistol or rifle is called
a weapon."
She continued to stare and guilt
stabbed at me. She'd discovered a colleague who'd been brutally murdered, and I
stood in the doorway gawking at her. I swallowed, feeling like a school kid.
"Dr Nichols, I'm Agent Pierce,
head of nightshift security." Her fingers tightened around a lace
handkerchief gripped in her right palm. I didn't want to step closer, but had
to. Her pheromones were making my blood, or what was left of it, crave an
infusion from her veins. "What happened?"
Her gaze dropped to the hankie and she
began working the fabric with both hands. "I was working late and needed
Leon to come to the lab. I couldn't get the Geiger counter to calibrate. I
knocked. When no one answered, I opened the door and…" Her eyes swung up
to meet mine. "So much blood." Her gaze remained locked with my eyes
as if demanding a response.
"I'm sorry," I offered. "I thought you
were assigned to dayshift."
She swiped at the corners of her eyes
with the handkerchief. "I switched shifts yesterday so Leon and I could
calibrate the new equipment."
I nodded. The scientists worked a
twelve hours on, twelve off schedule seven days a week. We were in a race
against Nazi scientists while men died in Europe, North Africa, and the
Pacific. "Did you notice anything unusual tonight?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"Hear anything strange on the way to Dr Heinrick's
office, pass anyone in the hall?"
She shook her head. "Maybe he's still here."
Something in the way she stared at—through—me,
searching for answers and fearing what she might find,
threatened to tip me off balance. "The murderer is gone," I replied
in a level voice.
"How
do you know?"
"A
hunch," I said, and meant it.
"Why
kill Heinrick?" she said. "Why not Compton or Fermi? But
Heinrick…" Her voice trailed off.
"Are you saying Heinrick didn't know anything worth
killing for?"
"I suppose we all know something
worth killing for. Each scientist on this project is top in his or her field. But
the project will go on without Heinrick. If we lost Oppenheimer, or Fermi, the
project would be delayed, if not brought to a standstill."
"Did you enter Heinrick's office?" "No, I
took one look and ran."
The response, given without hesitation, or guile, made me
wonder if this woman ran from anything.
"This
was the first office I came to," she said.
Her story made sense, and my instincts
said she was telling the truth. I had learned to trust my sixth sense,
especially the last eight months. This ability was another one of those things
I couldn't explain, like being conscious of the way her pheromones where
working on me double-time.
"Are you staying in the dorm?" I asked. She
nodded.
"I'll
have someone escort you there."
Desire to go with her shot to the
surface with the heat of a volcano. I pictured white skin, full breasts, and
blond hair between perfect thighs. I forced my breathing to remain even, and
the swelling in my shorts abated. I'd never experienced such sudden, intense
lust. If I escorted her back to her room I would drink her blood—and God only
knew what I would do to her afterward. My pulse jumped with the thought of her
warm blood flowing past my tongue down my throat… and her tight walls closing
around me as I entered her.
"I have to complete my
measurements before the day shift," she said. I jarred from the erotic
thought. "There's not enough equipment to go around," she added.
I
nodded. "Of course."
Clipped footsteps sounded almost
noiselessly on the linoleum floor of the hallway and I recognized McHenry's
walk two seconds before Dr Nichols's eyes shifted over my shoulder.
"Pierce."
I glanced back to see him standing in the open doorway.
"The
general wants to talk to you."
A measure of sanity reasserted itself.
I had to get away from her, now. "Could you escort Dr Nichols back
to the lab?"
His expression lightened. "No
problem." He stepped aside and motioned toward the door with an open hand.
"Dr Nichols."
His expression lightened. "No
problem." He stepped aside and motioned toward the door with an open hand.
"Dr Nichols."
She cast me a farewell glance and
headed toward the door. I tried tearing my eyes from the gentle sway of hips as
she walked past, but couldn't, and felt the heat swell to the surface again. I
had to find one of the small rodents whose blood I drank to keep my thirst for
human blood at bay, or go back to Heinrick and hope the congealed blood in his
decaying body would make me forget the craving. Rising desire twisted my
insides and I feared even Heinrick's dead blood wouldn't work against the warm,
pulsing blood of Dr Nichols.
About the Author(s):
T. C. Archer
is comprised of award winning authors Evan Trevane and Shawn M. Casey. They
live in the Northeast.
Evan puts his
Ph.D. to good use by writing about alternate realities, and Shawn channels the
mythology and philosophy she studied during her wasted youth into writing about
exotic places and times.
Evan and
Shawn write romantic sci-fi, paranormal romance and romantic suspense.
Find the Author(s):
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