Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams – Review, Interview & Giveaway

Shades of Treason
Anomaly #1
by Sandy Williams
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Genre: adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

 

Amazon / Kobo

Description:
Lieutenant Ramie Ashdyn is an anomaly, a person whose genetic makeup makes her stronger and smarter than the average human. She’s pledged her life to protect the Coalition, an alliance of thirteen planetary systems, but when a top secret operation turns bloody, she’s charged with treason and the brutal executions of her teammates.

The Coalition needs the information Ash’s team stole on their last mission, so they send in Commander Rhys “Rest in Peace” Rykus to get it. He’s the man who’s responsible for turning Ash into an elite soldier… and he’s a man who isn’t, never was, and never will be in love with the woman he trained. Or so he tells himself.

Ash wants nothing more than to clear her name and be the woman her former instructor wants her to be, but the enemy who killed her teammates did more than frame her for treason and murder: they telepathically silenced her mind, preventing her from saying anything that might point to the truth about what happened.

Now Ash is trapped and set to be executed, the truth dying with her. Unless she can prove her innocence. But taking that path could destroy the Coalition she’s sworn to preserve and protect…

 

Review:

Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams is the 1^st book in her new Anomaly series.  Our heroine is Ramie Ashdyn (Ash), and she is an anomaly, who is much smarter and stronger than the normal person. Anomaly’s are usually trained soldiers who will do every to protect the Coalition, which is an alliance of 13 planetary systems.

In her last mission, which ended badly, Ash’s team was all murdered. She is charged with treason, suspected of executing her team. This mission involved stealing some top secret information, and Ash has coded the information, which no one can decipher. Ash remembers what truly happened that day, but she is unable to tell anyone. Because of a revolution in the making, her supervisor, who was also killed, told her to code the information and not tell anyone in order to save the Coalition.

Commander Rhys Rykus, our hero, has been called in to break Ash into telling them the code that she hides. No matter what he does, he cannot get her to reveal the code. Those determined to get the information any way they can, will think nothing of killing her. But Rykus knows Ash, as he trained her and feels something isn’t right. She was too loyal to do what they suspected.

What follows is an exciting adventure that will find Ash escaping, with Rykus in charge of finding her, and discovering the truth behind why Ash cannot explain what happened that day. The truth will reveal powerful enemies bent on destroying the Coalition, with the betrayers controlling many of the political members. Rykus does not know who to trust, but he learns that Ash is a victim and together they will work to find the leader and try to stop the revolution.

Rykus also discovers his hidden feelings for his former student, and in difficult and trying times, those feelings come forth. I really liked Ash and Rykus together, though it seemed that this relationship was impossible, since Rykus was too centered on his job, not allowing himself to show those feelings to Ash.

The last third of the book was very exciting, as it seemed their chances to prove Ash’s innocence, as well as save the Coalition was slim. The forces against them were too strong; especially with the powers they had that allowed them to control certain people and situations.

Shades of Treason is a very good start to the Anomaly series. Sandy Williams has given us another wonderful heroine in Ash, and a romance that we hope will continue to grow. Though this is not a cliffhanger, it is left open ended for us to wait impatiently for the next book. I fully recommend you to start this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

Hi, Sandy. Thank you for taking the time to visit us again at The Reading Cafe, to discuss your upcoming new release “Shades of Treason”, as well as to give an update as to what you have upcoming in 2015/2016.

Sandy:  Thank you for having me! I love my visits to The Reading Café.

TRC:  You have just released your first book in your new Anomaly series, Shades of Treason. Can you please give us a brief description of your new series?

Sandy:  Sure! Shades of Treason is about Ramie Ashdyn, an elite soldier who’s been charged with treason and the brutal murder of her teammates. The only way she can clear her name is to destroy the Coalition she’s sworn to preserve and protect. Ash also happens to be an anomaly, a human whose mental and physical scans come back a hundred points higher than a normal person’s. She’s a bit faster, quicker, and smarter than most people, which is how I justify her having the strength and endurance to be an elite soldier. 🙂  I’m a fan of Star Wars and Firefly, and this series will fit into that genre, and it comes with a good shot of romance.

TRC:  How did you come up with the idea of the Anomaly series? Also, how many books do you anticipate for this series?

Sandy:  I’ve been a fan of science fiction for years, and the majority of my previous, unpublished manuscripts had spaceships in them. In fact, the idea for The Shadow Reader was originally set in space. I can’t remember why I decided to turn it into an urban fantasy, but it worked for that series. All the time I was writing it, though, I was missing writing sci-fi, and the idea for Shades of Treason crept into my mind during a really long, boring meeting at work. I’m planning on at least three books starring Ash and Rykus, her former instructor and love interest. But I also intend to write standalones in this universe. They’ll lean more toward romance than the main storyline, and either the hero or the heroine (maybe both!) will be an anomaly. I love the anomaly concept, and coming up with their quirks and abilities, and finding the perfect man or woman to make them better people, is so much fun. 

TRC:  What was your biggest challenge in starting this new series?

Sandy:  Prepare for the understatement of the century: the situation I created for Ash was challenging to write.  Extremely challenging. Early in the book, Ash is telepathically straightjacketed. She can’t say or do anything that gives any indication of her innocence. She’s not able to tell the Coalition the truth about what happened on her last mission, and why her teammates are now all dead. The Coalition believes she’s a traitor, and the only way she can prove her innocence is to escape, which means she has to get rid of Rykus, her former instructor who is the biggest obstacle preventing her from escaping and clearing her name. Trying to summarize the situation in a way that makes sense is hard, too! I had to be really aware of writing inconsistencies, but I think the struggles and the end product were totally worth it. I love how this story turned out! And the tension between Ash and Rykus was my favorite part to write.

TRC:  In your last book, The Sharpest Blade, which was the final book in your Shadow Reader series, what was the overall reaction to the one McKenzie chose at the end. Of course, I was very happy. 🙂

Sandy:  Nearly everyone was happy with how it ended. Hurray! It really couldn’t have ended any other way, but like me, there were a good number of people who wished things had ended a little differently. I’ve mentioned it before elsewhere, but if I was McKenzie, I would have made a different choice. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not her! 🙂

TRC:  Would you like to share with us what you are currently working on, and what you have in store for us in 2015/16?

Sandy:  I’m working on more books set in the Shades of Treason universe. I’m hoping to have two more books out by the end of 2016, a continuation of Ash and Rykus’s story, and a standalone that deals with another anomaly and a very disciplined warship captain. I’d also like to find time to sneak in a few short stories and novellas set in the Shadow Reader worlds, including more Aren POVs. I already have a few on my website (link: http://bit.ly/1DjCvFi), and more will be sent directly to readers as I write them (to receive these and more behind-the-scenes info, just sign up here http://bit.ly/1e8EYUa). And if I learn the art of writing fast, there’s a new urban fantasy series I’m dying to write. I have lots of plans! It’s just finding time to get to them. 🙂

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Sandy:  If you don’t usually read science fiction, I hope you’ll give Shades of Treason a try. I’ve written it as an urban fantasy set in space (space-UF). It’s character and plot driven, with “science” that works like magic because I’m so not a science person. I’m intrigued by science, but can’t wrap my mind around it, so I promise not to bog readers down with details of how the universe works. 🙂 I slip in the worldbuilding, much as I slipped it in during the Shadow Reader books. If you end up enjoying Shades, please ask me for more space-UF recommendations. I love to rec books!

TRC:   Thank you, Sandy for giving us an update on Shades of Treason, as well as what we can look forward to in the future. It was a pleasure talking with you again. We wish you good luck with the Shades of Treason, and hope to catch up with you again in 2016.

Sandy:  Thanks for inviting me back! And happy reading!

 

Sandy graduated from Texas A&M University with a double major in political science and history. She thought about attending law school. Fortunately, before handing over her life’s savings, she realized case studies weren’t nearly as interesting as novels and decided to get an MA in Library Science instead. She worked as a librarian until her husband whisked her off to London on an extended business trip. She’s now back home in Texas, writing full-time, raising twin boys, and squeezing in time to play geeky board and card games like Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Runebound.

She loves hanging out with other readers and talking about books. For recommendations, check out her Goodreads account. And if you have a favorite book or author, she’d love to hear from you on   Facebook Twitter or via email.

 

Sandy is offering a paper copy (USA only) or an e-copy (internationally) of SHADES OF TREASON to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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8. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

9. Giveaway runs from July 3 to 7, 2015

 

This is another chance for you to win a copy of Shades of Treason.

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