Toni Sweeney

Toni Sweeney

About

I write mostly sci-fi and fantasy, with an occasional sidestep into horror and westerns.  Thus far, I have 8 novels published as well as many short stories online at Amazon Shorts and in magazines.

Size Zero (Visage Book 1)

Size Zero (Visage Book 1)

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Description

<p style="margin:0px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>&quot;A somber, disturbing mystery fused with a scathing look at the fashion industry. </strong><strong>Mangin writes in a confident, razor-edged style.&quot;</strong><strong> - Kirkus Reviews</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>Condom dresses and space helmets have debuted on fashion runways.</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">A dead body becomes the trend when a coat made of human skin saunters down fashion's biggest stage. The body is identified as Annabelle Leigh, the teenager who famously disappeared over a decade ago from her boyfriend's New York City mansion.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">This new evidence casts suspicion back on the former boyfriend, Cecil LeClaire. Now a monk, he is forced to return to his dark and absurd childhood home to clear his name. He teams up with Ava Germaine, a renegade ex-model. And together, they investigate the depraved and lawless modeling industry behind Cecil's family fortune.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">They find erotic canes, pet rats living in crystal castles, and dresses made of crushed butterfly wings. But Cecil finds more truth in the luxury goods than in the people themselves. Everyone he meets seems to be wearing a person-suit. Terrified of showing their true selves, the glitterati put on flamboyant public personas to make money and friends. Can Cecil find truth in a world built on lies?</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>In high fashion modeling, selling bodies is organized crime.</strong></p>

Story Behind The Book

Reviews

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt;">Kate loves bad boys—the only problem is that bad boys only seem to exist in the movies, and Kate hasn’t had a date in weeks. All she wants is to wake up on a Saturday morning snuggled up next to a studly guy. So she jokingly asks Satan to send her his baddest bad boy because she’s definitely ready and willing. When a breathtakingly gorgeous guy <a href="http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800589.php"><span class="klink"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Verdana;">rings</span></span></a> her doorbell dressed like Robin Hood, she thinks her friends are playing a joke on her. She soon learns her heart’s desire may have been granted after all. Maybe she should have been a little more careful before throwing wishes around. <br /><br /> Poor Zellachrastides, or Zel for short, is just a third-degree <a href="http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800589.php"><span class="klink"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Verdana;">incubus</span></span></a> who hasn’t been doing so well in seducing the ladies. Kate is his last chance to prove that he can seduce with the best of them and make First Degree Incubi. After all, his brothers did it in only six months—Zel hasn’t in the past ten millennia, and now he only has until tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to get the job done. Could it be that Zel is looking for more than just a one-night seduction? </p> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal">  </p> </td> <td style="padding:0pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p></p> </td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:0pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;"> </span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt;">Sweet, enjoyable, and a little outrageous (in a good way), <em>Demon in Blue Jeans</em> will have you walking back into the office after lunch with a smile on your face. Ms. Sweeney does a good job of developing her characters in the short confines of the story. She brings out their characteristics in a vivid way, and I could picture the interaction between Kate and Zel in blazing color. Along with a good, solid plot, all that makes this one great read. <br /><br /> Because Satan sent a demon to seduce a horny young woman, the plot may seem absurd to some, but as long as it entertains me, I don’t care how preposterous the plot is. Sometimes, you just have to suspend your belief and get carried away with a total fantasy. And Toni V. Sweeney definitely delivers with <em>Demon in Blue Jeans</em>. <br /><br /> With its touch of <a href="http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800589.php"><span class="klink"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Verdana;">humor</span></span></a> and its sizzling romance, <em>Demon in Blue Jeans</em> is a short, sexy lunchtime romp that I’d recommend any day of the week. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt;">Margaret Marr</p> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';">http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800589.php</span><br /><br /><p style="text-align:center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">&quot;Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.&quot; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">Kate forgot about this age-old warning when she asked Satan to send her a bad boy to fulfill all her darkest desires. The next night Zel, a third level incubus, shows up at her apartment door. But Zel isn't really a bad boy, more like an under-achiever getting his last chance to succeed or else. Can these two people make a relationship work or will Satan get two souls for the price of one wish?<br /><br /> Toni V. Sweeney has written another one of her trademark excellent stories with <strong>Demon in Blue Jeans</strong>. Ms. Sweeney is known for taking the unusual and making it seem not only possible, but normal. Who else would make a demon sweet, sensitive and inept? I love her hero and heroine because they both seem like people I would know. I also love the way she tells a story; she always sets the scene really well and the details are great. The ending also leaves open the possibility of sequels for Kate's friends and I dearly hope that Ms. Sweeney decides to go with this as a series. Can't wait to read the next one.</span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">http://manicreaders.com</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;">A DEMON IN BLUE JEANS provides rollicking fun mixed with heady emotion and enthusiastic sex – a perfect combination! This is a perfect short story to take along to occupy yourself during some unexpected downtime; it’s a quick read, funny, and leaves the reader with happy feelings. I loved the way Toni V. Sweeney imbued the story with the sense of real people and situations to this paranormal tale. I felt as if Kate could have been one of my girlfriends, who just happened to get herself into a sticky situation that turned out wonderfully. Zel was a delightful character with his quirky, unsure ways, but always willing to give it a go. While Kate and Zel’s relationship did not start out in a normal way, they sure had an exciting time together. Sweeney brings an enchanting tale of love and lust so powerful that it spans across the realms of Earth and Hell.</span></strong></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;"> </span></strong></p><p></p> <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;">http://ck2skwipsandkritiques.com</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p> <br /><br />