The Water Lord ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo & Giveaway!

THE WATER LORD

by

MATT MINOR

Genre: Political Suspense
Publisher: Dead Tree Publishing
Publication Date: April 2, 2018

Number of Pages: 249 pages

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     A town has gone dry, and the general manager of a water district is found dead, presumably a suicide. His crazed widow is in denial and recklessly loose-lipped. Texas House District 100 is again in turmoil, and the interests of the landed class against urban sprawl are at odds.
    Enter John David Dothan (The Representative). The world’s hippest legislator is back, but he is a changed man. Post-stroke Dothan dons an eccentric cane and is married to his former chief of staff, Tryphena Taylor. The two lovers reside peacefully tucked away in a country cottage with their rescued cat. But they are swimming against the tide.
     Caught between the past and the future, the rural and the urban, the representative is trapped in a no-win situation both politically and emotionally. When a constituent brings to his attention a mysterious ‘retention pond’ things grow increasingly murky. The waters turn completely dark when Dothan learns his forbidden first love, former State Senator Rachael Logan has been hospitalized.
     Armed with only his cane and sidekick, Mason Dixon (The District Manager), who serves as his new Chief of Staff, Dothan sets aside the ambiguities of politics and love in search of clarity and righteousness. But the cost of doing the right thing might not just be his young marriage…but Tryphena’s life.

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PRAISE FOR THE WATER LORD:

"Great pacing and a well-written storyline. I look forward to reading more from Matt Minor!" - My Reading Addiction

"Matt Minor has great attention to detail and makes everything from the setting to the characters feel very real. It makes for a wonderfully written and very suspenseful novel." - Momma and Her Stories

"A well-crafted suspense! The plot kept me turning the pages and I finished this novel very fast. Matt Minor's voice is a breath of fresh air, smart, witty and full of twists... I will read more books by this author!" - Indie Express

"Matt Minor has created a novel in which the main character shows growth...I like flawed characters and if they can overcome things, it really speaks to me." - A Life Through Books

Matt Minor presently serves as a Chief of Staff in the Texas House of Representatives. In the Texas House he has served under the Pensions Committee, Government Efficiency and Reform, Investments and Financial Services, Bond Indebtedness, and Way and Means. He has worked as a political campaign manager and is a public speaker. Matt has authored official state publications, oversees syndicated editorials, (both political and cultural) and is a speech writer and district radio legislative commentator. Prior to his life in state politics, Matt was a professional musician and entertainer. Matt’s hobbies are centered on the arts, including the craft of poetry, an interest that has brought academic recognition and numerous awards.

His first novel, The Representative was an Amazon Political Fiction Bestseller the summer of 2015, and was accepted and archived into the Texas State Legislative Library. In April of 2016, The Representative won an IPPY Gold medal for Southern Fiction. In the summer of 2016 he released his second novel, The District Manager.

Matt Minor resides on his ranch property in Wharton County, Texas. He lives in Austin during legislative session. 

║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Goodreads ║ Twitter ║ Blog ║ Amazon Author Page ║

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THREE WINNERS GET AN E-BOOK COPY!

JANUARY 8-17, 2019

(USA only)

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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

1/8/19 Excerpt All the Ups and Downs 1/8/19 BONUS Promo Hall Ways Blog 1/9/19 Review Reading by Moonlight 1/10/19 Author Interview Texas Book Lover 1/11/19 Review Tangled in Text 1/12/19 Excerpt That's What She's Reading 1/13/19 Author Interview StoreyBook Reviews 1/14/19 Review Forgotten Winds 1/15/19 Series Spotlight Chapter Break Book Blog 1/16/19 Review Nerd Narration 1/17/19 Review The Clueless Gent

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Necessities ~ ~ Blog Tour, Review, Book Trailer, & Giveaway!

NECESSITIES
(Book #4 in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series)
by Boyd Taylor 

Genre: Adult Fiction, 225 pages

Category:  Suspense Crime Fiction

Publisher: Katherine Brown Press

Release date: December 5, 2017

Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is a murder and allusions to sex. Some mild cursing.)

Book Description:  Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal.

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Watch the book trailer!

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BOOK REVIEW:

HALL WAYS REVIEW: ✪✪✪✪ Necessities is the fourth book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series by Texas author Boyd Taylor. I haven’t read any of the prior books (yet), but this one stands alone and is a quick but fully engaging story. I read it in one sitting not just because I had a glorious block of time, but because I wanted to see how it all turned-out!

The structure of Necessities is interesting; it’s divided into three parts, with the first two making-up the majority of the book. Except for a brief mention of him, the main character of the series, attorney Donnie Ray, isn’t introduced until nearly half-way into the story. The first half of the book focuses on character David Lewis, who Donnie ends up defending in a murder trial. Author Boyd Taylor does a great job of fleshing-out David’s character, who is deeply flawed and mostly likable – though I never felt sure if he was a good guy or not. The careful reader will notice that Taylor drops small tidbits that cast David in an unsavory light, which plants seeds of doubt come trial time. Another interesting aspect of the book’s structure is that many of the characters introduced in the first half of the book are absent until the very end of the second half. These are primarily the dysfunctional members of the ultra-rich Lehrer family, and whose antics and attitudes – nasty as they are -- pulled me into the story.

As readers switch gears from Part One to Part Two – a mildly jarring transition – the legal part of the story begins and establishes Donnie, an attorney living in Antelope City and working in Velda, both small towns located in the Texas Panhandle. Donnie’s contemplative nature and way of life are immediately appealing, and I was surprised to find out later that he wasn’t even forty years old. He seems older with his life experiences and nostalgia about the olden days of Austin and the world in general. I wanted to know more about Donnie’s life, and this is a place where it feels like readers would benefit by having read the prior installments in the series.

Part Two introduces some new fascinating and quirky characters and a side story about Donnie’s mom that may have been explored in earlier books. The preparation for the trial and the courtroom scenes were well-done and Taylor minimized the use of legal jargon and kept exchanges succinct. The trial itself flew by, and I found the outcome totally believable for a Texas jury.

Author Boyd Taylor has a distinct and appealing writing style that keeps the story line feeling real and engaging. The dialogue is natural, and though there is a lot of sex happening, I appreciate that Taylor allows readers to use their imaginations instead of giving them graphic details. The author is crafty in manipulating readers to think a certain way and then pulling the rug out by throwing-in some great twists at the end of Part Two and in the short but impactful Part Three.

Necessities could be a notch better with some editing to tighten-up some gaps in the storyline, a timeline issue or two, and scattered punctuation errors; however, it’s pretty damn good as is. I look forward to going back to book one, Hero, starting the series from the beginning, and immersing myself in the world of Donnie Ray Cuinn.

SIDE NOTE: I really like the covers on this series – sleek and attention grabbing. But it bugs me that the scene on the cover of Necessities doesn’t match the story. It actually misleads a bit…but I can’t talk about that because I don’t do spoilers.

Thank you to iRead Book Tours and the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

CLICK FOR SPOTLIGHT ON BOOKS 1-3!

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Meet the Author: BOYD TAYLOR lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and their Havanese dog Toby. Necessities is the fourth novel in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. In a former life, Boyd was a lawyer and a corporate officer. A native of Temple, Texas, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in government and an LL.B. from the law school.

Boyd's first novel "Hero" was prescient in its story about fake news. His second novel, "The Antelope Play," dealt with drug trafficking in the Texas Panhandle, an unfortunately accurate forecast. The third, "The Monkey House", involved commercial development of a large green space in the center of Austin, all too familiar to Austin residents. Whether his upcoming novel "Necessities" predicts future events with the accuracy of the earlier books remains to be seen.  

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook

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 ◐  Enter the Giveaway! ◑

1 WINNER: Paperback copy of Necessities + $25 Amazon Gift Card

4 WINNERS: Paperback copy of Necessities. 

25 WINNERS: ebook copy of Necessities

(Open in U.S. only; ends March 7, 2018)

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TOUR SCHEDULE:
Jan 3   - Library of Clean Reads - tour kickoff / spotlight all 4 books / giveaway
Jan 4   - Library of Clean Reads - review of Hero / author interview / giveaway
Jan 5   - Literary Flits - review of Hero / giveaway
Jan 8   - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Hero
Jan 9   - Olio by Marilyn - review of Hero / author interview / giveaway
Jan 10 - Library of Clean Reads - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 15 - Library of Clean Reads - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Jan 17 - Olio by Marilyn - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 18 - Books for Books - review of Hero
Jan 19 - Literary Flits - spotlight of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 22 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of The Antelope Play
Jan 23 - A Mama's Corner of the World - spotlight of Books 1, 2 and 3
Jan 24 - Hall Ways Blog - spotlight of Books 1, 2 and 3
Jan 25 - Books for Books - review of The Antelope Play
Jan 26 - Olio by Marilyn - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Jan 29 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Necessities / giveaway
Jan 30 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review of Necessities / giveaway
Jan 30 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Jan 31 - Hall Ways Blog - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 5   - Literary Flits - spotlight of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 6   - Books for Books - review of The Monkey House
Feb 7   - Bound 4 Escape - review of Hero / giveaway
Feb 7   - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 8   - Olio by Marilyn - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 9   - A Page Before Bedtime - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 12 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of The Monkey House
Feb 13 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 14 - Bound 4 Escape - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 15 - Books for Books - review of Necessities
Feb 16 - Fantastic Feathers -  review of Necessities
Feb 19 - FUONLYKNEW - review of Hero / giveaway
Feb 19 - Literary Flits - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 20 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 21 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 21 - Bound 4 Escape - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 21 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 22 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Feb 22 - FUONLYKNEW - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 23 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 23 - Books are Love - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Feb 26 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Necessities
Feb 26 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of The Monkey House/ giveaway
Feb 26 - Books are Love - review of he Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 27 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Necessities / guest post / giveaway
Feb 27 - Books are Love - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 28 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 28 - Books are Love - review of Necessities / giveaway

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CLICK FOR SPOTLIGHT ON BOOKS 1-3