Shades of Allegiance by Sandy Williams – a Review

Shades of Allegiance by Sandy Williams – a Review

 

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Description:
Lieutenant Ramie Ashdyn takes a leave of absence from the Fighting Corps to return to the hellhole that is her home world. With vengeance in mind, she searches for a dangerous criminal who could help her unravel the conspiracy that’s threatening the Coalition. But old enemies sabotage her efforts and jeopardize the lives of the few people she trusts. She will need to be cunning and ruthless to accomplish her mission, and that means scrapping her conscience and burying emotions her adversaries could exploit.Being cold and heartless would be easier if the Coalition hadn’t sent “Rest in Peace” Rykus to retrieve her. Ash is their only way of detecting the telepaths who have infiltrated the government. Rykus must keep her safe until they can escape the planet, but with secrets between them and Ash determined to contact the Known Universe’s most feared crime lord, staying alive and together might be an insurmountable feat.

 

 

 

Review:

Shades of Allegiance by Sandy Williams is the 3rd and final book in her Anomaly series.  I have read and loved the first two books in this series, but I worried that after a 4-year absence, that I would not remember much.  No worry, since I just needed to read my previous reviews, and once I started this book, I could not put it down.  Refresher: Ramie Ashdyn (Ash), our fantastic heroine, is an Anomaly, a human who is smarter mentally and physically than the normal person, which makes her an elite soldier, who is faster, stronger, with phenomenal endurance then the regular soldiers. Because of her training, though she is close to her friends and team, she can be difficult to get along with, as she is very tough, brash and independent. 

Ash returns home to Glory, after being away for 5 years, and assumed dead. She is determined to use her old contacts to find a crime lord to get information to fight a conspiracy trying to destroy the Coalition. As Ash meets some of her old friends, who are shocked and upset not knowing she was still alive; she also must face many of her enemies who hate her and want her dead for real.

Rykus, our hero, is a well-known commander for the Coalition and is Ash’s fail safe, and lover.  Over the first two books, we know about the strong chemistry and feelings they have for each other, and us loving them together.  Rykus follows Ash, making sure to have her back, since she is always getting into terrible situations.  Some of our old friends, Hauch, Chance, Mira are back, but not pleased about her return.

What follows is an all-out battle that will put their lives constantly in danger during this non- stop, exciting, intense, wild adventure. Ash also tends to keeps things secret from her friends, as she is determined to find the people who were responsible for the deaths of her team years before, as well as learning more about the conspiracy.  As they continually face battles, Ash & Rykus‘s love for each other, continues to be hot and heavy. I do love them together, but with Ash’s penchant for putting her life on the line, we worry about their future.  Ash and Rykus will accept some help to get where they need to go, even if they can’t trust the source.  To say too much more would be spoilers, as a lot happens. 

Sandy Williams does a fantastic job in continuing the flow of this complex world , and she has created some great characters.  Most of all, I love Ash, and her chemistry with Rykus is off the wall. Shades of Allegiance was an action packed, exciting, dangerous, pulse pounding story that had me unable to put the book down, especially as we raced to the tense climax. I was very happy with Williams giving us a fitting end to this series.   If you like Sci-fi, lots of action, great romance, and twists and turns along the way, then you should be reading this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

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Shades of Honor by Sandy Williams – a Review

Shades of Honor by Sandy Williams – a Review

 

Shades of Honor
Anomaly series – Book #2
by Sandy Williams
Release Date: November 3, 2016

Shades of HonorAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
She won her freedom. Can she win a war?

Commander Rhys Rykus is facing court martial. With his career on the line, he’s ordered to keep his distance from the brainwashed Ash and protect her from afar, but sinister elements threaten her safety. He accepts a new mission that puts them on the same warship, knowing it will take all his self-control to fight his feelings for her.

Lieutenant Ramie Ashdyn is no stranger to fighting for her life. Still under the influence of the Coalition’s brainwashing, she cares little for her own safety. She merely wants to protect the Coalition… and reconnect with Rykus.

Rykus knows how important Ash is to keeping all of them alive, but the target on her back is enormous. Will the growing threat to the Coalition take down Ash and Rip’s only shot at love?

 

 

Review:

Shades of Honor by Sandy Williams is the 2nd book in her wonderful Anomaly series.  Shades of Honor, picks up a short time after the end of the previous book.  Ash, our fantastic heroine, is once again giving her new team a hard time.  We learned in the first book that Ash can be difficult to get along with, as she is very tough, brash and independent.  She is an Anomaly, a human who is smarter mentally and physically than the normal person, which makes her an elite soldier, who is faster, stronger, with phenomenal endurance then the regular soldiers.

Rykus, our hero, is facing charges concerning the last mission, but all charges are dropped, since he is being assigned another dangerous mission. Both Ash and Rykus love each other, but they try to keep their distance, as the Coalition will not accept their relationship.  Much to his concern, Rykus finds out the mission will include Ash, which will make it much more difficult for him to concentrate.

The minister prime, Tersa, has put the team together to try and make peace with the evil Sariceans, who caused massive destruction in a recent attack.  Rykus and the entire team, including Ash are not happy about this mission, but Tersa will not be denied.

What follows is an exciting & fun adventure that will bring Ash a bit closer to her new team; solidify Ash & Rykus love for each other, despite his attempts to keep his distance; and an all out battle that will put all their lives in danger.  Who will survive?  Will Ash and Rykus find a way to keep their romance hot and heavy?

Sandy Williams does a fantastic job in continuing the flow of this complex world , and she has created some great characters.  Most of all, I love Ash, and her chemistry with Rykus is off the wall. I look forward to more of this fabulous romance.   This was a fun, exciting, pulse pounding story that had me unable to put the book down, especially as we raced to the tense climax.  Bravo to Sandy Williams, for another wonderful addition to her Anomaly series.  If you like Sci-fi, lots of action, great romance, and twists and turns along the way, than you should be reading this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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

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

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

 

Shades of TreasonAmazon / 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 1st 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

 

Interview-Gold

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!

 

About the author

SandyWilliams
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.

 

giveaway

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

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Sandy Williams  on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

9. Giveaway runs from July 3 to 7, 2015

 

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

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