Book Tour for Winning Glory by Ann Gimpel (Review)

Fans of suspenseful reads with a bit of steaminess and techno elements will be drawn to this first installment in the GenTech Rebellion series, Winning Glory by Ann Gimpel.  Keep reading to get an enticing taste of this fast-paced story, along with my impressions of it.  Learn from the author all about friendship as well and then add this book to your bookshelf too!

The Value of True Friendship.....

In this era where most of us have hundreds, if not thousands, of social media “friends” we’ve never met, there’s a tendency to either steer clear of our real friends, or not bother with flesh-and-blood relationships in favor of sitting in front of a screen. Virtually all of my writer friends are, well, virtual. There are only a couple I truly know. And if it weren’t for attending conventions, I wouldn’t know them.

So where am I going with this? Quite a while ago someone did a study on social support. It’s been replicated a number of times, so I’m certain the findings were valid. In any event, the perception that we have social supports is just as effective as really having them. By that token, virtual friendships are just as potent as real ones.

One of my flesh-and-blood writer buddies has spent most of her career as a journalist. When she was young, she worked for a very famous novelist, doing research for his books. Back then (1980s) authors all had agents and they visited those agents and their publishing houses, which by the way, treated their writers like gold. In other words, they had lots of human interaction.

Roll the clock forward a few decades. The Big Five no longer treat their authors as anything other than commodities, except for a few consistently high producers like Stephen King. There are hundreds of small presses and hundreds of thousands of independent writers who self publish.

Before I started writing, I came from a long career as a psychologist, which can be very isolating. I always chose to practice in a group setting so I’d have someone to talk with. Yes, I know I always had patients to talk with, but that’s not a friendship. The therapy relationship exists solely for the client and can be very draining on the therapist. We worry a lot about our clients, but never tell them that.

For many of the same reasons I selected group practice, I chose to work with publishers when I wanted to become a writer. I truly appreciated having copy editors, line editors, cover artists, acquisitions editors, etc. to visit with because writing, too, is a very isolating occupation. Once I knew enough people—and had developed my craft—self-publishing held an undeniable allure.

For the true introverted intuitives of the world, the Internet is a huge boon. It allows them distance from other humans while also providing the illusion of social support.

So, what is true friendship? Once upon a time it was my best friend who I picked up the phone and called. Do I still do that? Yes, but not nearly as much. Now I use email. It’s faster and easier. Or I text. It would be a fascinating social psychology experiment to take a close look at how people craft their relationships in modern times and whether there’s any connection between the high divorce rate and our tendency to gravitate toward virtual friendships.

What’s important to you in friendships? Do you have flesh-and-blood friends or web friends, or both? Do you feel differently about them? If so why?

Sometime between the interminable wars in the Middle East and 9/11, the United States moved forward breeding a race of super humans. Clandestine labs formed, armed with eager scientists who’d always yearned to manipulate human DNA. At first the clones looked promising, growing to fighting size in as little as a dozen years, but V1 had design flaws.

Seven years ago, a rogue group turned on their creators, blew up the lab, and hit all the other breeding farms, freeing whomever they could find. In the intervening time, they’ve retreated to hidden compounds and created a society run by men. Women are kept on a tight leash because the men fear if they discover their innate power, they’d launch their own rebellion.  

**********

Being a genetically altered human without a name grew old, so Glory named herself. Surrounded by a maze of unpleasant alternatives, she makes a bold choice and ends up a fugitive in the midst of a Minnesota winter. Once she’s on the run, she discovers how unprepared she is for life outside her protected compound.
CIA agent, Roy Kincaid, devoted his career to hunting super humans who staged a rebellion seven years before. He’s not making much headway, so he goes deep undercover. One blustery night, a striking woman staggers into the café where he’s catching a late meal. Part waif, part runway model, the half-frozen woman arrows straight into his heart.
Glory’s flat out of alternatives, but death in the storm might be preferable to telling the tall stranger looming over her anything. Sensing Roy is dangerous, she pushes into his head seeking clues and discovers he hunts those like her. Maybe she can fool him, just for tonight. Get a hot meal and dry motel room out of the deal. If she’s lucky, he’ll never find out she’s on the run from the same group he’s targeted for death.
The thing she didn’t count on was falling in love.

EXCERPT:

…“Dessert, hon?” The waitress sidled back over to him, and Roy realized he was her only customer.

“Sure. What do you have?”

She rattled off a series of pies and cakes. He chose apple pie with a scoop of ice cream, and she left with his dinner plate. Roy slumped against the chair. He had to keep going. No choice. Not really. A good night’s sleep, coupled with the first adequate meal he’d had in a couple days might make a big difference in his attitude. At least he hoped they would.

He’d just begun on the pie, which had a surprisingly flaky crust, when a rush of cold air yanked his attention toward the door. A tall woman walked in. Long, dark hair caked with snow swirled around her, and she held her body tightly as if she were really cold. Roy glanced at her feet and was shocked to see a pair of tennis shoes with holes in them. Good God, had she been outside with such inadequate footwear? Didn’t she understand she could freeze to death? Even his stout boots didn’t do much to divert the cold.

Keeping her gaze downcast, she made her way to the counter and sat.

“Coffee, hon?” The waitress asked.

“How much is it?” the woman inquired.

“Two bucks.”

“Oh.” The woman’s shoulders drooped, and she swiveled the stool around, getting ready to go back out into the storm.

“No, you don’t.” The waitress’s voice sharpened. “I’ll stand you a coffee. You look about done in.”

The woman’s even features melted into what looked like relief before she turned back to face the counter. “Thank you. That’s really kind and I appreciate it. My wallet was stolen, and—”

“Never you mind.” The waitress patted the woman’s shoulder. “Bet you’re hungry too.” She poured hot coffee into a mug and handed it to the woman, who drew the steaming liquid to her lips.

“Maybe a little,” the woman ventured. She clasped the cup with fingers white from cold.

By now, Roy knew he was staring, but he couldn’t make himself turn away. There was something waiflike and alluring about the tall woman with long, black hair. Snow dripped off her, creating puddles around her stool. All she wore against the winter weather was a thick, gray sweater and worn jeans. No scarf. No gloves. No hat. He was close to certain her wallet hadn’t been stolen. She looked more like an abuse victim on the run to him. Maybe he could help her get to her intended destination, if it wasn’t too far out of his way.

He pushed his chair back and made his way to the counter. “Say—” he began, but she started and drew away as if she expected him to hit her.

I was right. Abuse victim for sure.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He kept his voice low, soothing. “Order whatever you want, and I’ll pay for it.”

She kept her gaze on her hands clutching the coffee cup. “I can’t let you do that, sir. I’m all right. Truly I am.”

Without waiting for an invitation, he took the stool next to hers and called to the waitress. “Bring her the same meal I just had.”

“You got it, hon,” rang from the direction of the kitchen.

“You are not all right,” Roy said. “You’re thin as a rail, and you were shivering when you came in here. In fact, you still are. I’ll bet your shoes are wet clear through.” When she didn’t respond, he ploughed on. “Let me help you.”

She shook her head. “Don’t want your kind of help. It always comes with strings.”

“Mine doesn’t.”

He pushed a little with his enhanced mental ability to get her to look at him. If she did, maybe she’d see truth in his eyes. A shudder ran down her thin frame, but she dragged her gaze upward reluctantly. Roy felt bad for forcing her, but he didn’t have time to soothe her wounded places, which he suspected ran deep.

Eyes a shade of green he’d never seen inspected him. Long, thick lashes framed those eyes, and they were set in a face with high cheekbones, a high forehead, and black eyebrows winging a track over porcelain skin.

“Who are you?” The words tore from him. He hadn’t meant to say them. She was nervous as a feral cat as it was.

She shook her head sadly. “No one. I’m no one. You’ll forget all about me when you leave here.”

Something shifted in his mind, but he fought it. Before he could determine if something real had just happened or if he were imagining things, the waitress showed up with the woman’s dinner.

“Here you go, hon. Hope medium’s okay for that steak?”

“Fine, thank you.” Before the words were out, the woman picked up the fork and knife and shoveled food into her mouth.

Roy congratulated himself on a good call. Even though she’d been reluctant to admit it, she really was starving. He had no idea what she’d do tomorrow or the next day, but it wasn’t his problem. While she ate, he observed her from the corner of his eyes. In addition to being hungry and underdressed, she looked young. Maybe twenty. He’d be surprised if she were much more than that.

He shook a mental finger at himself. The country was full of abused women running from the men who used them as punching bags before they raped them. It was one part of law enforcement work he’d never understood: why the women kept going back for more.

“There are safe houses for girls like you,” he said, and could’ve kicked himself. What the hell was wrong with his mouth tonight? He couldn’t seem to keep words on the other side of it.

She stopped chewing long enough to glance at him. “What’s a safe house?”

“A place where women like you can go so whoever’s after you can’t get to you.”

“What makes you think someone’s after me?” Color splotched across her white cheeks.

Roy took a deep breath. “I was a cop for a long time.”

Her entire body tightened, and he wondered if he’d been wrong about why she was out in the storm. “You said was.” She swiped a paper napkin over her lips. “Are you still?”

“No. Not anymore.”

She took another bite, clearly thinking about what he’d said. “These people you think are after me. Could they still find me in a safe house?”

He wanted to lie to her, but didn’t. “Sure. Anyone can find anybody with the Internet and all, but the people who run the safe houses won’t let anyone who might hurt you inside.”

She drew her arched brows together and drank some coffee. “I’d have to go outside sometime. Work. Earn my way.”

He nodded. Those things were all true. He scratched his head and pushed too-long hair out of his eyes. “Sometimes, when a man is really persistent, there are ways of setting you up with a different identity in a different part of the country.”

Interest lit her features, and she cut up the last of her steak. “Where would I go to have that happen?”

“I’m not sure, but we could check with local agencies in the morning.”

A blank expression washed over her face, as if someone had shut out a light. She shot him a look she might have given yesterday’s overripe trash. “Morning, huh? You’re just like all the rest of them, mister. Means I’d have to spend the night with you.”

Roy winced. He hadn’t been thinking. Of course she’d make that connection. “No.” He shook his head emphatically. “I’d buy you your own room for the night. You can clean up, get some sleep, and we’ll regroup in the morning after breakfast.”

She narrowed her eyes, and he felt himself drawn into their depths. “My own room with a locked door?”

He nodded solemnly, willing her to believe him. If he could just do one decent deed, it would make up for the last two weeks of beating his head into a brick wall. Maybe it would give him enough juice to keep hunting for the scientists who were a bunch of Houdini fuckers.

“Mmph.” She started on her potato, taking large bites. In between them, she said. “I’m trying to figure out your angle. If I’ve worked my way around to believing you won’t hurt me by the time I’m done eating, I’ll accept your offer.”

It was the best he was likely to get. Roy stood. “Fair enough. I’m going to finish my pie.” It was sitting in a pool of melted ice cream, but he didn’t mind. “If you’d care to accept my help, just stop by my table on your way out. If you walk past, I give you my word I won’t bother you.”

“Deal.” She said around a mouthful of food. Swallowing, she twisted to look at him.

It felt as if she were staring straight through him, but Roy held his ground even after he identified a zing of power withdrawing from his mind. What the hell was she, anyway? When she returned to her dinner, he retreated to his pie, thoughts racing a mile a minute. What the fuck was he doing? If he were smart, he’d forget his offer, throw enough money on the table to cover both meals, and run like hell for his car.

There was something about the woman, though, an appeal that drew him, snared him, and wouldn’t leave him be. He ate mindlessly, not tasting the pie. He knew the feel of freak mind control. Was that it? Had he inadvertently stumbled onto one of them?

Impossible. They’re never by themselves, and whatever she examined me with didn’t feel quite right.

Plus, she didn’t resemble the ones he’d killed before. They had dark hair, but animal eyes. Amber, not green like hers. Of course they’d been men, but simple genetics argued they’d all look much the same if they came out of the same petri dishes. Were there other augmented humans beyond those he already knew about? The thought fascinated and chilled him at the same time.

He scraped his fork over the plate and realized it was empty. Slugging back long-since-cold coffee, he dug for his wallet and extracted what he was certain would cover dinner, laying bills on the table and placing his empty mug atop them.

The woman looked almost done with her meal. What would she do?

What would he do if she walked by him and out the door? Would he be able to keep his promise and not go after her?

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  BN  |  iBOOKS  |  KOBO

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Fans of stories with techno elements and life or death circumstances will be drawn to this series starter and the characters readers are just starting to get to know.  Though the narrative is a bit rough and choppy at times the overall story arc is compelling and this tale full of intrigue.

Roy and his team feel as if they're losing the fight against a group of genetically engineered men until he stumbles across a woman with unique talents running from a past not of her own making.  He's immediately drawn to her despite the danger surrounding her and they grow closer as she becomes an integral part of his team.  Roy's still reeling from the loss of his wife though, as well as teammates, and doesn't want to open his heart but the vulnerability of the woman named Glory has him unwilling to let her go despite the danger.  His caring side is balanced with his knowledge of what she could bring to their battle with his care and concern coming to the forefront to do whatever necessary to keep her safe.  Into the fray they both charge though in an attempt to save others like her which puts both of them in danger in a pulse-pounding finale that leaves his heart wide open.

Glory can't remember anything from her childhood no matter how hard she tries to breach her memory.  What she does know is that she has remarkable abilities crafted in a petri dish that leave her treated like a lab rat with no rights.  When a near-rape leads to an unexpected complication she's forced on the run and luckily straight into Roy's arms.  Glory's naive with very little knowledge of the outside world despite her intelligence.  It leaves her ill-equipped for the harshness and loneliness outside the compound which has her wanting to cling to Roy despite the danger to him.  Together she teaches him new and deadly talents while she learns about love.  Glory starts off shy and scared but being with Roy has her gaining and desiring even more independence.  I enjoyed seeing her grow and gain confidence in her connection with Roy that simmered from the moment they met.  They ultimately made a formidable couple as they tried to save the women she called sister.

This was a story that was a bit slow for the first half but once it got going it packed in a lot of action as it raced to a thrilling conclusion that sets up even more intrigue for the next installment.  The main couple were likable with a relationship that felt a bit clunky at first as trust issues ran deep but grew more romantic the closer they grew.  There were numerous secondary characters who readers are just getting a glimpse at here but who will play bigger roles as the series progresses.  Though it's theme is familiar there's still much to like in this story with its danger, suspense, and subtle romance that will leave readers wanting more.

My rating for this is a C+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved.  Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.

Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.

In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.

WEBSITE:  www.anngimpel.com

BLOG:  http://anngimpel.blogspot.com

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel

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TWITTER:  @AnnGimpel