I don’t do a lot of the monthly wrapup. I usually do Sunday memes where you can see all I have been sharing in one post. Because I have missed a lot of those too, I am sharing August’s action on fundinmental in one post.
Melissa is the author of the Frey Saga, Descendants Series, and KING OF ASH AND BONE. She is currently working on the next book, but when not writing can be spotted collecting the things she loves at Goodreads and Pinterest. Contact her through the web at www.melissa-wright.com; or follow her blog at authormelissawright.blogspot.com.
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For info on contests and new releases, sign up for the newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/zbisj.
One winner will receive the Frey Saga eBook Set of books one through three and a $20 Amazon eGift Card (winner may also choose to receive a print book of Frey in place of the ebook set if in the US).
Open internationally
Ends September 1, 2019
Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is an apocalyptic/dystopian novel where zombies run AMOK and aren’t the only bodies that will be falling. The series does need to be read in order.
Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is the third book in the Rememdium series and I do recommend reading them in order. That being said, how do I write this review without giving any of the good stuff away?
Ashley Fontainne included a cast of characters in the beginning of the book and it picks up where Book II, Tainted Reality left off.
Tainted Future starts out with three bloody, gory deaths and a flaming missile that obliterates the town. They are on the run. Where do they go?
And it only gets worse. A bullet to the head. Brains splatter.
My emotions ran hot. I was filled with fear, smiles and hope, watching the characters face their personal demons and rise above them was inspiring. I only wish I would do the same in a dire situation.
People will be exposed for who they really are. Some will change for the good, others… Some characters are filled with great courage and sacrifice, at least those that are not out to rule the world. I hate that Ashley Fontainne has the need to kill so many of them off, but hey, I’m not surprised at all. Be careful of who becomes your favorite, because they might not make it.
One of the greatest scenes was in the Humvee, racing over the terrain and anything else that gets in the way. Bodies were thrown side to side, as they bounced their way into the next hair raising end of the world scenario.
We don’t end up with a cliffhanger, but we do need to read Book IV, Tainted World to find out what happens next. Will it be the final chapter? I am already bummed at some of the characters that had to bite the dust and I am afraid to find out who will be next…but, I have the book on my Kindle and will begin reading…NOW.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Everything they know is gone. The old world obliterated in less than forty-eight hours. They soon discover they aren’t alone, and other dangers besides the undead lurk in the forests. The new law of the land: kill or be killed.
Dr. Everett Berning and his team seek refuge in the underground lab in the Ozark Mountains. The first week after the collapse of civilization, those who made it out alive struggle against the odds to survive.
Only a handful escaped the devastation in their hometown of Malvern, Arkansas, and they grapple with the new reality. Tired, frightened, and mourning the loss of loved ones, they attempt to regroup and cope with the life-altering changes.
When one suffers a debilitating injury, they are thrust into a tenuous relationship with Dr. Berning’s group. Other survivors battle the odds as they flee treacherous cities destroyed by the government and crawling with reanimated corpses.
Unfortunately, they all are about to discover the roaming dead aren’t the only threat they face. As the world plummets into darkness, things will never be the same. Ever.
ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)
Award-winning and
International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of
mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her
youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse
the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within
us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the
Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre
Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write
her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy.
With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a
person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous
acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero
Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge
has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How
far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries
answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller
entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world
of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in
fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards
contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller
entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book
Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film
entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve
into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel,
Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty
Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with
Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder
mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book,
Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
Jane Blythe and Amanda Siegrist are two amazing authors that I have had the fortune of finding through blogging. They write of love, loss, danger and death, not necessarily in that order. I am excited to have the opportunity to read their first collaboration, Drowning in You, a part of Sweetest Obsessions Boxed Set, which was released on August 20, 2019.
Imagine…locked up in the dark…you make an escape…before you can get out the door, you are yanked back into an even worse horror than you had been in, before trying to get away. Will he kill you now?
Carter and Jade, homicide partners…a lake, a dead body and for Carter, painful memories.
Rose and Evelyn had been chosen by the same foster family and quickly became best friends. They are complete opposites. Rose is quiet, and rather spend a night at a home than go out. Evelyn is outgoing, ready for a party.
When Carter and Rose meet, there is an immediate attraction. Carter wanted to take away her sorrow and pain, to protect her. Rose felt safe when she was near him.
The beginning of their relationship, the feeling out period, is so sweet. They are like a couple of teenagers and the writing brought the innocence to life. They had both suffered devastating losses, so trusting in love is very difficult for them. They protect themselves and their secrets. I loved watching them learn to share, to communicate.
The serial killer is so much more than just a serial killer. Killing people is not his motivation, but he has no qualms about getting rid of anyone that gives him a problem. Are serial killers capable of love, or is it some twisted interpretation?
I am in a state of suspense. What is he going to do next? I know it won’t be anything good.
I didn’t see it before, but at 66% something triggered my monster meter and I know who he is. Maybe I could have picked up on him sooner, if I was trying harder. Jane and Amanda’s writing has a way of taking me along for the ride and I am enjoy the journey so much that I forget to decipher the clues. I knew the one guy was too big of a scumbag, ya know, too obvious. I wasn’t falling for that red herring. But I really hope he gets his before the story ends.
80%…I know what’s coming and I’m racing through the pages. I can’t stop myself. I need to see how this plays out…NOW.
Want a HEA? Come on in!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Drowning in You by Jane Blythe and Amanda Siegrist.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He has a choice to make. Face his fear … or watch her die.
For
Rose Gowan the death of her best friend means she no longer has a
confidante—someone to keep her secrets, someone who knew all her
insecurities—and she’s not sure she’s brave enough to let anyone else
in. Until she meets the detective working her friend’s case. He gives
her hope for a future she had thought she’d never have, but he can be
possessive, and she promised her best friend that she would never let
anyone control her again.
Death is a part of life. It’s not
something Detective Carter Dixson likes to dwell on, but working in the
homicide division, he has no choice. He does his job, and he does it
well. When his latest case brings Rose into his life, he finally has
something other than his pain from his past to focus on. She makes him
smile, his heart beat faster, and actually feel happy for the first time
since his brother died. He’s not afraid of falling in love too fast.
But he is afraid of one thing—losing Rose the same way he lost his
brother.
This novel is included in the Sweetest Obsessions Boxed Set, which will release on August 20, 2019.
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
Love!
Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just
loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship,
and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a
happy camper:)
I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.
Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
A Chinese satellite is on crash course with Earth. It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city. And that’s the good news…
In the tradition of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and Robert Ludlum, comes a new hero.
Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college grad, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he’s running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he’ll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he’ll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn’t, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems.
I do love my mystery, suspense/thrillers. Lovin’ this cover and the ‘written in the tradition of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton and Robert Ludlum, authors I am very familiar with. How can I possibly resist?
I believe this is my first novel by Ann Cleeves and I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review The Long Call.
I love the cover for The Long Call by Ann Cleeves and am always on the lookout for a good mystery. That being said, I really wanted to love this, but…
Maggie loved talking to her friend but one day he didn’t show up. And so her mystery begins and she wants answers.
The characters are gay, lesbian, mentally challenged…
Everything, good and bad, centers around the Woodyard, a community center.
It held no tension or suspense for me. I couldn’t get excited by the story or the writing but I am curious…so I will read on. I know a police procedural is not as exciting as a thriller, but I would put down The Long Call, read something else, come back to it, put it down…well, you get the picture. I was bored and my mind kept drifting.
I did finish it and because I had to know the ending, I gave it 3 stars, for satisfying my curiosity.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Long Call by Ann Cleeves.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
For the first time in 20 years, Ann Cleeves—international bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—embarks on a gripping new series.
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.
Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a
call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a
man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.
The
case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left
behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past
and present collide.
An astonishing new novel told with
compassion and searing insight, The Long Call will captivate fans of
Vera and Shetland, as well as new readers.
ABOUT ANN CLEEVES
Ann is the author of the books
behind ITV’s VERA, now in it’s third series, and the BBC’s SHETLAND,
which will be aired in December 2012. Ann’s DI Vera Stanhope series of
books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective
along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann’s Shetland series bring us DI
Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful
Shetland Islands…
Ann grew up in the country, first in
Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school
teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary
jobs – child care officer, women’s refuge leader, bird observatory
cook, auxiliary coastguard – before going back to college and training
to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird
Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting
ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle
of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room.
Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny
tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only
residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the
mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person’s not heavily
into birds – and Ann isn’t – there’s not much to do on Hilbre and that
was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features
the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are
seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters
moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for
many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie
lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their
ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year
of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library
authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid
for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups
in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham
Literature Festival’s first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working
with libraries. Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann’s
short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television
Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award –
once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the
Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first
winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime
Writers’ Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland
Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA’s Gold Dagger award,
and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world’s largest award for
crime fiction.
Ann’s success was announced at the 2006 Dagger
Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London’s Aldwych, on Thursday
29 June 2006. She said: “I have never won anything before in my life, so
it was a complete shock – but lovely of course.. The evening was
relatively relaxing because I’d lost my voice and knew that even if the
unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So
I wouldn’t have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!”
The
judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown
MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray
(an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime
fiction), Heather O’Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer
for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime
fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann’s
books have been translated into sixteen languages. She’s a bestseller
in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical
acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin
Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
Today I am excited to share the Raven Point Pack Audiobooks by Heather Renee with you. Narrated by Kasi Hollowell and produced by The Audio Flow, this new adult paranormal romance series is full of shifters, sass, romance, and unforeseen twists.
Come check out the series and enter the giveaway before adding them to your audio bookshelf!
THE RAVEN PACK TRILOGY
Shades of Fury
Taya’s just been named alpha-in-training. First order of business: avenging her twin brother’s death.
When Cord connected a rival pack to the disappearances of humans, he paid the ultimate price. Now it’s up to Taya to pick up where he left off and find justice for those who have been harmed.
As she closes in on her brother’s murderer, the threats only escalate. He wasn’t the only target, and now everyone she loves is in danger, further fueling Taya’s need for revenge.
With the help of an irresistible shifter named Liam, they set out in search of the only witch coven strong enough to set things right. Only Taya isn’t sure who to trust, and if she doesn’t decide soon, she could lose not only her heart but also the people she loves most.
Shades of Magic
When Taya is faced with deciding who will live or die, she struggles to accept the outcome when the choice is made for her.
As Raven Point mourns the loss of one of their own, they band together with the witches to seek vengeance. Not only for their fallen pack mate, but for anyone who has suffered from Declan’s decisions.
Though the battle looms near, Taya finds herself continually drawn to Liam. She must decide if they’re stronger together or if he’s merely a distraction she can’t afford right now.
When the dust settles, and the consequences of their actions come to light, Taya and Liam may just find themselves at their breaking point.
Shades of Deceit
The need for vengeance can chase away everything…even those she loves most.
Taya’s worst fears are coming true as Liam’s grief begins to consume him. Watching him slip away, she teeters on the edge of being a patient mate and a desperate woman. With an uncertain future, one misstep could be the end of their new love.
Just when the pack thinks they’re gaining the upper hand, another adversary makes an appearance. Taya will need to trust the enemy if she wants to keep her loved ones away from the threat. If she isn’t careful, she’ll become the next casualty in Declan’s battle for supremacy.
Secrets will be revealed, lives will be changed, and strengths will be tested as everyone is pushed beyond their breaking point in hopes of making it out alive.
Heather Renee is a USA Today Bestselling author who lives in Oregon. She writes Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance novels with a mixture of adventure, humor, and sass. Her love of reading eventually led to her passion of writing and giving the gift of escapism. When Heather’s not writing, she is spending time with her loving husband and beautiful daughter, going on their own adventures. She loves to hear from her fans.
One lucky winner will win a copy of Shades of Fury the first book in the Raven Point Pack trilogy. Open Internationally. US winner will receive a signed copy.
FBI agent Brock McGovern is going back to a place that holds bad memories. He had been arrested for murder and his young love had been swept away.
Three women are missing and it is his job to find out why. Is there a curse waiting to deal him a dose of justice….or a murderer waiting to be caught?
The History Tree…I love trees. I don’t know why, but anything about them makes me curious and a tree with a cursed history…well, I gotta know.
This is a convoluted mystery that spans decades. All the players are together again and I am crossing them off my bad list, one by one.
Heather doesn’t make it easy as she sends me off on one false trail after another…and I am happy to go down those trails…all the way to the end.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tangled Threat by Heather Graham.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A body hanging from the infamous History Tree unraveled their teenage love. Now Maura Antrim is again tangled up with Brock McGovern. Twelve years later, they’re back where that murder occurred—where Brock had been arrested and then released, where Maura had run, too scared to stand by his side. But with two women missing, and Brock now an FBI agent, Maura is determined to help. Together, they’ll have to confront a threat that never died and see if their passion has withstood the test of time.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham
majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a
stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and
bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began
to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some
trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and
since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas
including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire
fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the
launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows,
and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter
of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with
all revenues going directly to children’s charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty
languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B.
Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and
more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the
Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such
publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared
on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a
certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the
mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she
also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is
grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for
a living.Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube
Book details: Knowing Nichelle by Tinsley Sellers Publication date: August 16th 2019 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
SYNOPSIS
She’s
just met the man of her dreams…but he’s not who he said he was. Neither
is she. Until they get a second chance to make a first impression.
Is
he a sophisticated big-city lawyer, or an easygoing small-town
woodworker? And if she’s not a career-driven high-powered attorney, then
who is she? Hiding behind their masks is second nature until
circumstances force them to see beneath the surface and realize just how
alike—and in love—they really are.
He’s only got one rule: no lawyers. She’s a lawyer.
Burned
by experience, Buck’s got a rule for a reason. After walking away from a
lucrative legal position, he found his peace in Beckley. Life on the
farm is simple, and his woodworking business is thriving. He’s not
interested in trading his work boots for wingtips and rejoining the rat
race. So what if she’s the most compelling woman he’s ever met?
She’s only got one requirement: no a**holes. He’s an a**hole.
After
a disastrous encounter in a trendy bar, Nichelle’s convinced that he’s
an over-muscled a**hole. She’s got a sleek car, luxurious condo, and
elegant designer clothes. Family comes first, and her legal career is on
the fastest track. She’s never met a problem she couldn’t solve on her
own. So what if he can see beneath her carefully constructed façade?
They’re perfect together. They just don’t know it yet.
Welcome
back to Beckley, Michigan! Autumn is in the air and as the days get
shorter, the air gets cooler and the calm lakes reflect the blue skies
and red-gold trees for a double-dose of fall color. The people are just
as warm, friendly, smart, funny, and real as you remember. When you need
a place to call home, Beckley welcomes you—and sometimes the family you
choose is as strong as the bonds you’re born with.
If
you like small-town romance, you’ll like Beckley. If you like smart
heroines who balance demanding professional careers with a commitment to
family, friends, and finding love, then you’ll definitely like it here.
If you like strong, sexy, hard-working heroes who have not-so-secret
soft spots for kids, dogs, and classic cars, you may find that you never
want to leave!
Knowing Nichelle is the third in the Beckley’s Daughters Romance series. It can be read as a stand-alone story, but continuing readers will recognize many of the characters and locations. This series is recommended for adult readers and contains explicit language and intimate situations.
“Welcome to the Alpha Quadrant!” the bartender shouted
as he poured two whiskies and set them on the bar before us. I finally took a
good look around the space; it had been decorated by someone with a serious Star
Trek fixa…oh. Got it. This was definitely her home turf.
Nichelle spun on her stool and waved to the karaoke DJ,
set up next to a small stage on the wall opposite the bar. His face lit up and
he punched the air enthusiastically. When the couple on stage finished their
duet, the DJ spoke into his microphone.
“It’s been awhile, Starfleet cadets, but Uhura is in the
house!” Someone whooped, and heads began turning towards Nichelle. “Get your
fine ass up on this stage, Lieutenant!”
She grinned and shouted over the crowd, “Pick me a song,
Harcourt Fenton Mudd!” I stared with disbelief as she picked her way to the
stage. Harry Mudd typed a few keystrokes on his laptop as she stepped onstage
and took up her mic. I recognized the No Doubt song; Jess had listened to it
compulsively—without headphones—when it was first released.
“Funny how I…find myself…in love with you,” Nichelle’s
silken voice stopped most of the conversation in the room. Bones poured me
another drink without asking.
“I ask myself, how much do you…commit yourself?”
Thank god I was already sitting. Thank god the place was
poorly lit and all eyes were on the stage. The bar was suddenly too hot; I
pulled off my suit jacket and draped it over the back of my stool. I yanked my
tie loose and popped the collar button that threatened to cut off my airway.
“Funny how I…blind myself…I never knew,” she sang more
softly, and I caught the wave of pain that rolled off her. I flinched, but she
raised her gaze, finding my eyes in the dim light. Her voice grew stronger, and
bam! she was playing the crowd like a pro.
It’s just
a song, I repeated to myself. Swallowed some
whisky. Just a song. She didn’t pick
it. Goddamn it, it’s not a message. Maybe it was. This thing between us… Why
was she blinding herself to the possibility? Why was she focusing all her effort
on proving that it couldn’t work? I didn’t know how to convince her to give it
a shot, but I had to try. She deserved so much. I had to give her this.
“It’s my life,” she belted out. “Don’t you forget.”
It was her life, but I wasn’t about to let her shut me
out of it. Not without a fight.
The bartender nudged my elbow, and I swiveled away from
the stage to face him. “You got a response to that?” He jutted his chin towards
the stage.
He stepped away, set up a round of tequila shots on a
tray for the waitress, and returned as the song was ending. “You got a response
to that?” he asked again with a knowing look.
“I might,” I admitted.
ABOUT TINSELY SELLERS
Tinsley Sellers grew up in Chicago, spending her summers with her grandparents in a tiny town a lot like Beckley, Michigan. Life took her to Arizona, Washington, and Idaho before she finally found her home in Arkansas. She is married to an amazing, supportive (and handsome!) man, with whom she has rescued three dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing, she teaches physics and engineering at the local university. When she’s not writing or teaching, she’s probably trying new recipes. She enjoys fast cars, loud music, fine whisky, and big books. In no particular order.
P M Terrell writes some fabulous stories and just looking at the cover makes me want to enter those dilapidated gates and find out if Hayley will be the next victim or not.
P M Terrell writes some amazing stories and her historical fiction makes me feel as if I can see the ruins, hear the cattle, smell the crisp air, and feel the fear of Hayley as she tries to figure out what the ghost wants from her. I love to anticipate the adventure, a ghost or two, and a bit of an education.
Hayley had been researching her lineage online for a historical novel, and now it was time to make the journey to discover it for herself.
Ireland has a complex history and I have always been confused by it. P M Terrell explains things in a way that I can begin to understand. Religion is a touchy subject no matter where you live, pitting brother against brother.
P M Terrell has a marvelous ability to bring to life the characters surroundings with vivid descriptions. I can see the stone fences and the patchwork quilt of the countryside. I felt like I was walking the meadows and the ruins. Desolate, burnt to the ground, making me want to know what happened to the people that lived there.
Hauntings seem to fit right in with a rainy, misty, foggy Ireland that is steeped in a confusing, at times brutal history. Violence continues to this day.
At the end, wrapped in a pretty bow for a sometimes ugly story, Fergal put a tear in my eye and a smile on my face.
P M Terrell has history in Ireland and weaves fact and fiction seamlessly. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will want to check out her work. I love the personal touches she adds to her stories. It May have you questioning what’s real and who are the restless spirits.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of April in the Back of Beyond by P M Terrell.
4 Stars
BLURB
Writer
Hayley Hunter has arrived in Ireland to complete a book on Irish history. When
she discovers the old carriage house she is renting is haunted, she is
determined to uncover the truth behind the burned ruins of a nearby manor house
and the abandoned British barracks it overlooks. With the assistance of Shay Macgregor,
an Irish historian, her quest will take her to 1919 and the Irish War for
Independence, exposing the murders of two young men and why their mother, April
Crutchley, refuses to leave the back of beyond even in death. With a budding
romance and the opportunity to begin life anew, Hayley finds her own life is
now in jeopardy as she gets closer to a truth the villagers have long sought to
bury.
EXCERPTS
When I heard the soft sobs, I realized I had drifted off
once more and in my half-awakened state, I thought the cries were connected to
my discordant dreams. I lay there with a groan on my lips not quite ready to
spill out and wishing I could simply sleep peacefully before it was too late
and I would be forced to arise for the long day ahead. I felt the bedcovers
slip away from my bare shoulders and I fought to open my eyes.
When they finally did open, I discovered that I was
completely uncovered. The bedcovers had been pulled to the foot of the bed and
were shivering inches from my feet as they lay heaped into an unkempt triangle
about three feet in height. I blinked once and then twice, my mind not grasping
what my eyes were witnessing, for surely it must be a trick of the eyes to
think the covers were still moving.
It was then that I realized the soft sobs had continued even
after I had fully awakened and they were not part and parcel of my overactive
dream state but they were real and they were coming from the direction of the
blanket.
“You don’t understand,” came the sound of a woman’s voice,
wracked with anguished sobs. “They are still here.”
“No, sweet darling,” returned a weary man’s voice that
sounded so close I nearly jumped out of my skin. “They are with God now.”
“I’m telling you they are not,” the woman answered, her
weeping growing more tormented. “They’ve never left. They’re still here.”
Within the space of a single heartbeat, I saw myself just a
few nights ago, convinced the voices came from outside my window. Then I was
pulled into the present to fight the horrifying realization that I was sharing
my bed with two apparitions.
I slid my feet away from the covers in excruciatingly slow
progress, afraid at any moment my movements would alert the phantoms of my presence.
I tucked my feet and knees close to my torso as I came to an uneasy seated
position, almost fetal in an attempt to occupy as little space as possible.
The room had become an icebox despite the radiators and I
found myself shivering almost in tandem with the blanket. I had no idea how
long I sat there, curled against the headboard and pillows, watching the foot
of the bed and listening to the disembodied voices that filled the air. But
then something seemed to snap inside me, fully awakening me to the present time
and despite my fear, despite my trepidation, I grew impatient with myself. I
reached a trembling hand toward the bedcovers, intent on pulling them over me
to fight the chill as well as reassure me that they were not wet.
But at the precise moment I felt the dampness under my fingers, the sobbing stopped, replaced by a gasp that was not my own. I yanked the covers to the side, determined to discover what mechanical device lay beneath. The material jerked away from me as though I was engaged in a tug-of-war and the gasp was replaced with a woman’s blood-curdling scream and a man’s shouts.
ABOUT P M TERRELL
p.m.terrell is
the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning,
internationally acclaimed author of more than 23 books in multiple genres,
including contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer instructional,
non-fiction and children’s books.
Prior to
writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC
Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software
Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence
Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department
of Defense. Her specialties were in the detection of white collar computer
crimes and computer intelligence.
A full-time
author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries was her first series, inspired by the
success of Exit 22, released in 2008. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in
the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The
Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014.
Her second series, Ryan O’Clery Suspense, is also award-winning. The Tempest
Murders (Book 1) was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book
Awards, cross-genre category. Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a
2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically
accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government
Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. Songbirds are Free is her
bestselling book to date; it is inspired by the true story of Mary Neely, who
was captured in 1780 by Shawnee warriors near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville,
TN).
She was the
co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising
public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high
illiteracy rates. She was the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual
event held in the town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase
literacy and reduce crime and served as its chairperson and organizer for its
first four years. She also served on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson
County (NC) Public Library, the Robeson County (NC) Arts Council, Virginia
Crime Stoppers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield
County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.
For more
information, book trailers, excerpts and more, visit the author’s website at
www.pmterrell.com.
