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Kristi Loucks

Kristi Loucks

About

I am an Author and a Pastry Chef. I write primarily in the Romantic Thriller genre. I currently have two published works a novel A Life Interrupted and a Novella Delivery of Fate. I also have a series in the works, the first of which is due in December of 2012 called The Rose Red Reaper.

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

I never intended to publish this book, but a good friend armed with a the only the first 15 chapters set the ball in motion when she shared those chapters to a colleague who happened to be a magazine editor. After that, calls started coming in about possibly publishing the novel. The funny thing was, when I got the first call I thought it was a mistake, until the publishing rep told me exactly how they'd come by the manuscript.

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Reviews

<div class="mt4 ttl"><span class="swSprite s_star_4_0" title="4.0 out of 5 stars"><span>4.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RTK6K0ZV3F977/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B008KYRP1A&amp;nodeID=133140011&amp;store=digital-text" class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle"><strong>Review Of A Life Interrupted by Kristi Loucks</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">July 21, 2012</span> </span></div> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"> <span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1YYE3IGM367C1/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" class="noTextDecoration">Mariann at Belle's Book Bag</a></span> </span> </div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"> <span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Kindle Edition</span><span class="gl7 gr7 gry">|</span></span><span class="inlineblock avpOrVine"><span class="orange strong avp">Amazon Verified Purchase</span></span></div> <div class="mt9 reviewText"> <div class="drkgry"> A Life interrupted was a heartwarming, sweet, funny, emotional, often times difficult read. The story packs an emotional punch as the characters struggle to put their lives back together after Jared, who was held captive for 2 years, during which he was tortured, finally comes home. It was interesting to read how Jared's disappearance affected everyone and how each of them coped. Jared and Shay had both endured a lot, each in their own way, in the 2 years since he had been missing. But their love for each other held strong and they were so sweet and supportive and protective of each other. I loved their relationship and how Kristi wrote their characters. I especially loved Jared with his daughter, Sera--so cute!!<br />There was a likable set of secondary characters that enhanced this story filled with love, hope, tears, laughter, and a little bit of mystery and excitement along with a HEA.<br />Kristi Loucks was a new author for me and I look forward to reading more from her. 4 out of 5 rating.<br /><br /><div class="mt4 ttl"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R17ZDDZPOYTWSP/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B008KYRP1A&amp;nodeID=133140011&amp;store=digital-text" class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle"><strong>Emotional Writing Queen</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">November 16, 2012</span> </span></div> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"> <span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1VPXCFO261VWH/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" class="noTextDecoration">Rebecca Graf</a></span> </span> </div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"><span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Kindle Edition</span></span></div> <div class="mt9 reviewText"> <div class="drkgry"> Another great read! A Life Interrupted by Kristi Loucks is....is....too much for words.<br /><br />Jared and Sara are in love but their team of agents don't realize they are a couple. Just when they are about to announce it, Jared is kidnapped. Soon afterwards, Sara discovers she is pregnant with his child. For 2 years, his brother, his girl, and his team wonder where he is. They keep the hope that he is alive. What they don't realize is the hell he is going through being tortured beyond what any man could bear. But this man has a woman he loves more than life itself to come back to. His captors make one mistake then. They let him know he has a daughter. All bets are off then.<br /><br />I started tearing up again just writing that synopsis. This is one of the most emotional reads I have ever read. The description of his torture is next excessively graphic, but enough to make you pause and reconsider continuing for a spell. I found that this book took me a long time to read because I had to stop often to compose myself. I am a very emotional reader when it is a good book because the author has now brought me into her world. Kristi Loucks did that and more.<br /><br />Ms. Loucks character development is amazing. I generally call well developed characters as being full of depth. These go to depths rarely seen in most books presented to me. You don't just know these characters. You become these characters. Her writing is so artfully presented that you feel the pain, joy, and fear almost as much as the characters do. I was bawling before the end of chapter 3 and had to stop reading for the rest of the day. She packs so much in just a few words.<br /><br />You will read of torture scenes as Jared bares his soul to the shrink and those closest to him. You will read of the pain of being alone not knowing what day it is and how long it has been since you last ate. You will read of the agony of those left behind trying to continue on with only hope that he is alive.<br /><br />A truly amazing and emotional book. You cannot and will not read this one in a day. It will take you many along with dozens of boxes of tissue. Ms. Loucks is a genius with words and emotions. I have yet to see one other than Danielle Steele who has made me feel so much with just words.<br /><br />You have to check this book out. Trust me!<br /><br />Note: This book was given as part of a book tour with no expectation of a positive<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span style="margin-right:5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span> <span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>A Life Interrupted</strong>, August 19, 2012</span> </div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <div><div style="float:left;">By </div><div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1X1OQWVVTCCZX/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ms. Eden</span></a> (US/UK) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1X1OQWVVTCCZX/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview">See all my reviews</a></div></div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span class="crVerifiedStripe"><strong class="h3color tiny" style="margin-right:.5em;">Amazon Verified Purchase</strong><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis">(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase">What's this?</a>)</span></span> </div> <div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <strong><span class="h3color tiny">This review is from: </span>A Life Interrupted (Kindle Edition)</strong> </div> I was simply spellbound with this novel by author Kristi Loucks. It's a very emotional and personal read, with a bit of everything from suspense and intrigue to romance and passion. Loucks writes with such a clear, distinct voice, that I was immediately drawn into the story. The plot and character development is excelllent, and the farther I read into the book, the more the characters became real to me- I felt like an eavesdroppers moreso than a reader, the proverbial &quot;fly on the wall&quot; watching as this excellent story moved along. The dialog is great- its written the way people actually talk- and this helped drive the narrative and keep me turning page after page in my eagerness to find out what would happen next. Well-written and very entertaining, I highly recommend this book. <br /><br />For more reviews, go to <span><span>http://www.amazon.com/A-Life-Interrupted-ebook/dp/B008KYRP1A</span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <span style="vertical-align:middle;"></span></div></div> </div><br /></div> </div>