Friday, February 7, 2025

Reign of Terror

Reign of Terror by Leo Silva is a gripping true crime memoir that takes readers deep inside the brutal world of Mexico’s Los Zetas cartel. Follow a rollercoaster of suspense, intrigue, and unrelenting action as you delve into this heart-pounding thriller. 

 

Reign of Terror

by Leo Silva

Genre: True Crime Memoir, Thriller


 “One of the best DEA narco books I have ever read” – Dave Gaddis, DEA Chief, Global Enforcement Operations

 Reign of Terror by Leo Silva is a gripping true crime memoir that takes readers deep inside the brutal world of Mexico’s Los Zetas cartel. Former DEA Special Agent Silva brings unparalleled insight, recounting his years on the front lines in the relentless fight against one of the world’s most violent criminal organizations. This powerful narrative unveils the hidden realities of the drug war, from the complex relationships between the cartels and law enforcement to the personal sacrifices made by those who risk everything to protect others. With raw detail and authenticity, Silva sheds light on the lives of those entangled in a web of corruption, power, and violence. Reign of Terror is more than a recount of battles won and lost—it’s a story of courage, resilience, and the cost of justice. A must-read for fans of true crime and international intrigue.


“In Reign of Terror, Leo Silva masterfully recounts the rise and fall of the notorious and ultra-violent Los Zetas cartel. But more than just retelling the story, Leo’s work is filled with inside information and insights that bring the reader into the world of those tasked with dismantling Los Zetas. Compelling, Leo brings profound humanity to the fight against the Zetas, a fight that brought both victories and tragedies, all of which are deeply felt by the reader.”
-  Jack Luellen, Author of Someone Had to Die Podcast Host: “Cartels, Conspiracies and Camarena”

  GUEST POST

What is something unique/quirky about you?

My passion and love for writing goes hand in hand in hand with my passion for music. In my family, I represent the fourth generation of musicians, with a love for music that is deeply embedded in my soul. I am both a singer and piano player and a huge fan of all musical genres with a special affinity for jazz and traditional Mexican boleros. My writing is interspersed with references to music and songs as I believe music plays a huge role in our daily lives and emotions.

 

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?


I am a native of Brownsville, Texas, a coastal city in deep south Texas. My love for reading books and writing stories was nurtured by my mother, who is an avid reader herself. In college, I majored in English with a concentration in American Literature and honed my writing skills under the tutelage of a highly talented professor. After college, I joined the US Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent where I served in various assignments along the Southwest border and in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico for a total of 28 years of service. My experiences as a DEA agent provide the backdrop for my writing. My first book Reign of Terror depicts my experience in Monterrey Mexico and the DEA’s struggle to assist in the apprehension of some of their most violent members.

 

Who is your hero and why?

Without question, my heroes are my parents, who taught me valuable life lessons at a young age. Lessons which have helped shape my character and lessons that I have passed onto my own children. My writing makes several references to the advice and lessons my parents have given me over the course of my life.

 

What inspired you to write Reign of Terror?

In my college years, I always dreamt about writing a book one day. After I retired from DEA, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to tell my story in Reign of Terror. I often see the narrative about El Chapo Guzman being played out in the news, movies, books and series but hardly anyone knows about the other Cartels that exist in Mexico, especially the Gulf Cartel, one of the oldest if not the oldest Cartel in Mexico. Reign of Terror gave me the opportunity to show the public that Chapo Guzman was not the only player in town and that there were people far more dangerous and treacherous than El Chapo.

 

Convince us why you feel your story is a must read.

Reign of Terror gives one the opportunity to immerse oneself into the darkest corners of Mexico’s Narco underworld. It is a collection of true stories, true events, victories and defeats, a rollercoaster of emotions told by someone who lived it firsthand.

What is your advice to new authors?

My advice to young writers is to be persistent and realize that writing is a marathon not a race. There may be days when one doesn’t feel like writing and that is OK.  But keep chipping away at it until you have told your story the way you want. Persist, every day, even if you only write one sentence. It will all be worthwhile when you are finally done.



**Get it for Only $3.99 on Kindle!**

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Book Links:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Terror-Leo-Silva-ebook/dp/B0DLB9KQQ6

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/reign-of-terror-by-leo-silva

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220973724-reign-of-terror

 

 

About the Author


Leonardo “Leo” Silva is a native of Brownsville, TX, a charming seaside city on the border. He is a 1982 graduate of Homer Hanna High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature from the University of Texas-Brownsville in 1985. He served as a Special Agent/ Supervisory Special Agent with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration from 1987 to 2015. During his career, he was assigned to offices along the Southwest border, Guadalajara, Jalisco and Monterrey Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

 

Website * Facebook * Facebook * X * X * Instagram * LinkedIn

 

Author Links

Website: https://www.edgeweaverbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1464224587

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

X: https://x.com/LXSilva1

X: https://x.com/EdgeWeaverBooks

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/edgeweaverbooks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonardo-silva-838a1651/

 


 

Giveaway

Choice of Print or ebook of Reign of Terror, $20 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/ReignOfTerrorTour


Tuesday, February 4, 2025

A Merry Murderous Midwinter

Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles, a good strong brew, and plenty of snacks. You’re going to need them.

 

A Merry Murderous Midwinter

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 3

by Dahlia Donovan

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Cozy Mystery

 

Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles, a good strong brew, and plenty of snacks. You’re going to need them.

Gender-fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass is living their best life with their bookshop, cats, and witch girlfriend, Teresa Vega. The colours of autumn are beginning to blend into winter. An ordinarily joyous midwinter is spoiled by the arrival of their estranged family.

When their murderous uncle is found dead in front of their shop, Hyde finds themselves unwillingly dragged into the investigation. Accusations swirl around South Myrddin. It takes a village to untangle the mystery.

Can the true killer be unmasked in time to save them?

Will there be anything to celebrate in the coming Yuletide season?

 EXCERPT

Ah. Our semiferal wandering bard.” Hyde frowned when he hopped up to sit on the counter. “Bram.”

“Just saying hello to the cats.” Bram had returned to the village a month back after a lengthy absence. One of the oldest fae in Scotland, probably the world, he’d been away dealing with the Seelie Court. He’d tamed his wild brown hair into a loose bun. His guitar was, as always, strapped to his back. It only seemed to highlight his lithe yet muscular form. “How is the morning treating you, mo chridhe?”

“I am not your heart. Stop it. Makes me feel like I’m this massive beating heart just flopping around on the pavement.” Hyde knew he wouldn’t stop. He took it as a personal mission to be as disruptive as possible. “What chaos are we causing this morning?”

“Me? Chaos?”

“It’s in your veins. What have you done? You’re never usually this chipper so early in the morning.” Hyde typically saw Bram dragging himself from his lighthouse on the edge of the village no earlier than noon. “Well?”

“I have a rock garden.”

Hyde blinked several times. They glanced over at Mortar, who yawned before returning to Bram. “A rock garden?”

“Aye. In front of the lighthouse. I’ve arranged them along the windowsill.”

“Bram.” Hyde spoke very slowly. “Bram. Why have you arranged pebbles along a windowsill in the lighthouse?”

“Outside the lighthouse. How else will they get sunlight?” Bram smiled brightly when they rubbed their eyes tiredly. “You’ve missed me, haven’t you?”

“Do the pebbles need sunlight?”

“Arthur gets quite grumpy without it,” Bram said with a straight face, as if he hadn’t named a random rock and claimed the thing needed sunlight to thrive. “Cernunnos prefers the south-facing windows.”

“This might be a silly question.”

“No such thing.” He waved off their concern.

“A complete lie. I’ve known you long enough to know there are definitely silly questions. Ones you usually ask.” Hyde soldiered on, trying to make sense out of the fae’s nonsense. “Have you named one of your rocks after the Celtic horned god?”

“He named himself. As did King Arthur.”

“First, Arthur was mythical. Probably.” Hyde had read loads of contradictory material on Camelot, the Round Table, and even Merlin. They’d been drawn to the legends because of living in South Myrddin. “Second, and far more importantly, how exactly did he name himself?”

“The rocks are possessed.”

Hyde bitterly regretted running out of blood wine. They did have a bottle of non-alcoholic blood in the fridge upstairs in their flat above the shop, but it wasn’t the same. As a vampire, they consumed both liquid and regular food. “Your rock garden, which isn’t a garden, is filled with possessed rocks.”

“Correct.”

Hyde eyed his mischievous smirk with suspicion. “You’re doing this to annoy Emrys, aren’t you? Why else would you pick King Arthur and a Celtic god important to druids?”


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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMTND4Y4

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-merry-murderous-midwinter/id6738101504

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-merry-murderous-midwinter-dahlia-donovan/1146544364?ean=2940180513304

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-merry-murderous-midwinter

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1648311

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/skeletoncrew3

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-merry-murderous-midwinter-the-skeleton-crew-paranormal-cozy-series-book-3-by-dahlia-donovan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221467213-a-merry-murderous-midwinter

 

A Fatal Autumnal Stew

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 2

 


Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. Keep your knitting needles sharp and have a strong brew in hand for their next adventure.

Life for gender-fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass has never been better. Her cosy village bookshop is thriving as is their new relationship with witch and taco bus owner, Teresa Vega. Autumn is in full magical tilt in their corner of the Scottish Highlands.

Everything is beautifully perfect right up until a tainted meal ends with Hyde sick and someone dead.

The police immediately suspect the restaurant owners. Hyde and Teresa find themselves drawn into yet another investigation, trying to save their friends from arrest and themselves from a murderer. The situation becomes even more complex when family feuds become tangled in the midst.

Can they find the killer?

Or will everything Hyde loves go up in flames?

 EXCERPT

“Do not deface the cover.” Hyde narrowed their eyes at the ginger fluffy marshmallow of a cat. Pestle stretched a paw out and set it on the book. “I’ll give Mortar your last baked treat.”

Bright yellow eyes glowered at them for the briefest second before he finally flounced over to the fireplace in the bookshop. Mortar, the more sedate of the two cats, a beautiful Persian with stunning blue eyes, barely acknowledged his presence. They both settled down on the mound of blankets for a nap.

“You are adorable menaces, and I love you.” Hyde gave both of them the lightest of touches before going over to rescue the book in question. They grabbed the bottle of blood on the counter and sipped the last of it. “Battista might try roasting both of you over a slow fire after all the work I did to find this for him and Amalia.”

Amalia Bassani and Battista Sartor were a succubus and incubus who ran the local Creole-Italian restaurant. Al Dente was one of Hyde’s favourite places to eat. The two had asked them to hunt for an ancient Roman scroll on their species.

Hyde Snodgrass, a vampire, autistic, and chubby ginger icon, was the proud owner of Between the Leaves, the lone bookshop in South Myrddin, a small village in the Scottish Highlands. They specialised in many things, including hunting down rare books.

The village had been their home since they were a small fanged child. South Myrddin was the home of the foundling. Abandoned magical people of all varieties found their way to the one place guaranteed to welcome them. It was why it had been founded in the first place.

Picking up the manuscript, Hyde wrapped it delicately in a paper that Battista had given them for protection. The book was old, though not as old as the original. They thought, however, it was a true translation of what had probably been a scroll as opposed to a bound book.

From their extensive research, nothing had been lost in translation. Hyde hoped their incubus and succubus friends found the answers they were looking for. The two had been tight-lipped about what they wanted to discover.

Hyde didn’t mind. For them, the excitement of hunting down rare books was more than enough satisfaction. They glanced first at the clock on the wall and then at the bookshelves. “Time for a quick dust before I close up.”

For most of the cleaning in the shop, Hyde relied on the three brownies who ran Feather Duster, the village cleaners. Dusting was the one job they did themselves, as they didn’t want to risk any damage to some of the older books. Cleaning products tended to make their nose burn and their skin itch, so they had gratefully handed off those duties to the Lyalls.

Between the Leaves was the quintessential quaint village bookshop with a few differences. One section at the back was set up with a selection of armchairs around a coffee table. It was where their weekly knitting and crocheting group, the Skeleton Crew, met at least once a week.


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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9DSFHFG

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-fatal-autumnal-stew-dahlia-donovan/1146067123?ean=9781923252134

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mlG7lB

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-fatal-autumnal-stew-the-skeleton-crew-paranormal-cozy-series-book-2-by-dahlia-donovan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216929057-a-fatal-autumnal-stew

 

A Curse for Samhain

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 1

 


Welcome to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles and a good, strong brew.

Gender fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass runs Between the Leaves—a cosy village book store. Their life revolves around books, all things autumnal, and the two cats who rule their world. The shop also plays host to a weekly knitting group called the Skeleton Crew.

When one of the leaders of the village coven fails to show up for the weekly knitting meeting, Hyde finds themselves investigating a horrific murder side by side with their long-term crush, Teresa Vega.

Suspicion immediately falls on other members of their group. Hyde and Teresa struggle to find answers to the growing list of questions. It’s made all the more difficult when the killer has them in their sights.

Can working together spark the romantic flame within them?

Will they solve the mystery before death comes too close?

 EXCERPT

“What do you think, Mortar? Pestle?” Hyde finished adjusting their button-down collar out of the blue sweater and glanced at the two cats observing them. One meowed quite loudly while the other sniffed before licking a paw. “You’re both remarkably unhelpful.”

The outfit of the day was one of their favourites. A lovely blue sweater with a well-worn button-down underneath. Jeans. A little boyish style from yesteryear with their trousers tucked into their socks and a vintage pair of brown boots.

I am a chubby ginger icon. I can seize the day.

Or I can seize a book to read.

That sounds better.

I’ll seize a book.

A particularly loud yowl caught their attention. The cats were definitely ready for their breakfast. They both looked pitifully up at Hyde.

“All right. Come on, you two.”

Mortar was a stunningly beautiful Persian with startling blue eyes who’d definitely been a queen in a previous life. Pestle, on the other hand, had probably been a court jester. His long ginger fur and almost glowing yellow eyes certainly set him apart, as did his sense of mischief.

They were Hyde’s constant companions. They ruled the roost. And more often than not, they kept the right people in the shop and the rest from overstaying their welcome.

Between the Leaves had been Hyde’s passion project for almost eighty years. The building had been a gift from the woman who’d taken them in as a child. A little shop with a comfortable flat on the second floor, it had once been a place serving afternoon tea, but books had been more interesting to Hyde.

Returning to stare at the mirror, Hyde attempted to corral their short, curly red hair into some semblance of a style. It was going to be a hat day. A hat day. It was a mostly nonverbal day. And a they day.

Being a vampire had its perks; being almost a hundred yet having stopped ageing at thirty was certainly a plus. Being an autistic one, though, had drawbacks. Every sound and smell was amplified by what felt like a thousand. The world could be an incredibly overwhelming place. It was Flossie who’d come up with the idea for the signs.

Flossie Vandermark was one of the three witches who ran The Spiked Cauldron, the village pub. She also happened to be a proud member of the Skeleton Crew, a weekly knitting group who met up at Hyde’s bookshop. Flossie had suggested a sign for days when Hyde didn’t want to talk or when they felt more they than she.

It made Hyde feel accepted. Everyone wanted to do what made them comfortable. It was part of the magic of their village.

Acceptance.

Everyone knew about South Myrddin. The little village on a loch in the Scottish Highlands was founded by Merlin himself, or so the lore went. It had a reputation for taking in the abandoned.

Hyde had come as a child when their family vampire coven had rejected them. South Myrddin was the place for stragglers, odd ones, and outliers. A place to find family if one wanted.

A place to find home.

The village had a healthy coven of witches. A few vampires. The odd werewolf. A collection of naiads, dryads, and brownies. Druids and shifters. A stray kelpie. An incubus and succubus, who were Italians who ran a restaurant. And one lone fae who’d been in South Myrddin since the beginning, or so they claimed.

The eclectic bunch of magical beings had all made South Myrddin their home. Most of the villagers came searching for a place to feel comfortable in their own skin. Hyde considered themselves grateful to have been left there all those years ago.


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Book Links:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3S6FM1W

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-curse-for-samhain/id6502471766

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-curse-for-samhain-dahlia-donovan/1145573886?ean=2940179925712

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-curse-for-samhain

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1562456

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4DjdGO

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-curse-for-samhain-the-skeleton-crew-paranormal-cozy-series-book-1-by-dahlia-donovan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213138597-a-curse-for-samhain

 

About the Author


Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress.  She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters.  An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games. 

 

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Author Links

Website: http://dahliadonovan.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliadonovanauthor/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dahliadonovan.bsky.social

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dahlia-donovan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dahlia-Donovan/e/B00KFNZFHU

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184061.Dahlia_Donovan

Newsletter: https://wordpress.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e1d9c3ca5df922a1bfc3784e8&id=1b336d84ec

 

 


 

Giveaway

$5 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/MerryMurderousMidwinterTour

 

Monday, February 3, 2025

Delay of Game

 Football was my first love. Now I’m playing for my only love.

Game Time.

 

Delay of Game

Game Time Series Book 4

by Tam DeRudder Jackson

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance


Danny Chambers is back.


I lost my heart to Danny Chambers in high school, even though he parked me in the friend zone five minutes after we met. It’s taken years to stop thinking about him at least once every hour. It helped when he enlisted in the Air Force. But he’s back, and he’s walking onto the football team. He could go to college anywhere, so why does it have to be Mountain State?

Even best friends keep secrets from each other.

When Danny earns a spot playing receiver for the Wildcats, I’m in the clear. I can admire him from the stands and go back to my boring life of finishing my undergrad and resigning myself to being married to my career. After what went down with my one-and-only boyfriend last semester, well, I need to stop dreaming about happily-ever-after. Which makes the head games Danny is playing with me so painful. Why is he acting like he wants something more with me?

Five years ago, I made a colossal mistake.

I need a second chance. Growing up a military brat, the one constant in my life was playing football. Though I met all kinds of people while switching schools on the regular, one look at Taryn Hamilton and she’s my girl. Yet after we met, I discovered quick she was off-limits if I wanted to catch passes on Friday nights. I paid a big price for my bad choice. Now after giving Uncle Sam four years so I could attend college, I’m at Mountain State where I’m taking every opportunity to show Taryn how I truly feel—how I have always felt about her. She is so much more than my best friend.

Football was my first love. Now I’m playing for my only love.

Game Time.

 

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

Book Links:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQY7BKBQ

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/delay-of-game/id6739635884

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/delay-of-game-tam-derudder-jackson/1146782359?ean=9798989224944

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Tam_DeRudder_Jackson_Delay_of_Game?id=C_E4EQAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/delay-of-game-17

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/delay-of-game-by-tam-derudder-jackson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222780156-delay-of-game

 

**Don’t miss the rest of the Game Time series!**

 


Finding the End Zone

Game Time Series Book 1

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Out of Bounds

Game Time Series Book 2

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Offsides

Game Time Series #3

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About the Author


Tam DeRudder Jackson is the author of the paranormal romance Talisman Series and the contemporary romance Balefire Series. Her favorite “room” in her house is her patio where she dreams up stories of romance and risk. When she’s not writing her latest paranormal or contemporary romance, you can find her driving around in her convertible or carving turns on the slopes of the local ski hill. The mom of two grown sons, Tam likes to travel, attend rock concerts, watch football and soccer, and visit old car shows with her husband. She lives in the mountains of northwest Wyoming where she spends most of her free time trying to read all the books. Her TBR piles are threatening to take over her office, and she’s fine with that.

 


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Author Links

Website: https://www.tamderudderjackson.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Tam-DeRudder-Jackson-103353094563464

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamstales32

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tam-derudder-jackson 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tam-DeRudder-Jackson/e/B083CRYWQ8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19849371.Tam_Derudder_Jackson

 

 


Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/DelayOfGameTour

Reign of Terror

Reign of Terror  by Leo Silva is a gripping true crime memoir that takes readers deep inside the brutal world of Mexico’s Los Zetas cartel. ...