Hopeful & Heartwarming – Strays by Mara McBain @MaraMcBain

Posted on December 20, 2017 by fundinmental

Strays by Mara McBain is one of those gems that could easily slip through the cracks.

If you are looking for a feel good book for the holiday season, look no further.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

“I’ll risk it. We all go through shit. We can either sit down and cry, self medicate, or let it roll off and keep trying.”

A good deed done, and Jarek pays it forward, just when Cali needed a friend.

“Strays like us need to stick together.”

My feelings were all over the place, leaving me feeling dirty, wanting a shower, yet making me smile and want to hug the characters. It makes me feel hope for mankind. That there are more good people than bad people.

Even though the sex is a bit graphic, erotic, it is so sweet and loving, it gave me a warm, loving feeling.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to grow up without your parents, but this horrendous story of the foster care system makes me fear, not just for the characters.

I could see a totally different outcome for these two young people growing up in the system and turning out ‘bad’, but they managed to rise above their past into loving, giving, ‘normal’ grown ups.

“I think a lot of people underestimate the power of laughter. Couples that laugh together, stay together.”

I so much agree with this. To me, laughter is very powerful…and necessary.

“You don’t keep score in love.”

When theyy came home from seeing the Fourth of July fireworks, my feelings caught in my throat. Thank goodness it wasn’t what I thought, but Mara McBain sure gave me a feeling of panic with her writing.

Such a touching story, the writing having my feelings running riot. Hit all the buttons. Realistic, heartbreaking and heartwarming, with characters that shine and disgust in a realistic fashion. I have to give it a rousing five star rating and if you’re looking for something to wake you up and slap you around, give it a try.

I won a signed ARC of Strays by Mara McBain and I am so happy I did. Thank you Mara.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

They were just strays … lost souls no one wanted.

It can always get worse.

Ripped away from her addict mother at eight only to be thrust into a new hell, those words have become etched on Cali’s soul. Life in the system has only reinforced them. Now, getting ready to step out on her own, she’s making plans and hoping against hope to break the cycle. Running for her life in a thunderstorm isn’t the way she’d expected to start.

Keep your head down and work hard.

It was the grown-up version of, out of sight, out of mind. It was how he had survived the hell of foster care. That, and running, but Jarek is done running. Finally, he has a place to call his own. Working construction, he builds things for strangers all day. At night, he renovates his dream home one piece at a time. He never expected to find the most important piece hiding under a wet tarp.

Can Jarek show Cali that it can get better? Can two damaged souls learn to love and trust enough to build a life together?

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Teaser Tuesday #103 – Carbon by Elise Noble @EliseANoble

Posted on December 19, 2017 by fundinmental

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

~~~~~~

Carbon by Elise Noble is one of those novels I might have missed if I hadn’t won the book, because the cover and blurb do not begin to describe the wonderful romantic suspense and mystery story inside.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Carbon by Elise Noble is a sizzling and creative twist on romantic suspense and forbidden love, that makes me hope that my fantasies and dreams can come true, too, in an adult novel that kept me on my toes and I read in one sitting.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Meet me at midnight… When Augusta Fordham receives that message from an unknown admirer, the plot could have come straight from her favourite romance novel. Oh wait—it did.

Augusta is soon caught between wealthy doctor Gregory and a dark stranger who makes her pulse race as he indulges her fantasies. Will she choose comfort and security or take a leap into the unknown?

And more importantly, what secrets is Mr. Midnight hiding?

Carbon is a standalone romantic thriller in the Blackwood Elements series. No cliffhanger!

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Monday Mini – Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe @Adam_G_Howe

Posted on December 11, 2017 by fundinmental

Oh man, I don’t know what to say about Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.

From Adam Howe, winner of Stephen King’s On Writing contest, come three original novellas of hardboiled crime, graphic horror and pitch-black gallows humor.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

My Review for Damn Dirty Apes

Adam Howe’s writing kept me laughing through the horrific twists and turns that is so ‘sick’. A weird and wacky horror story had me laughing in disgust. The mix of humor, horror and horniness shared some despicable characters and I loved to hate them. They hunt and fight their way through blackmail, kidnap and violence.

My Review for Die Dog or Eat The Hatchet

A psychopath reveling in the memories of the brutal and grotesque murders he committed. When is the death penalty appropriate. When you meet Hingle and delve into his perverted and twisted mind. The horror and savagery is impossible for me to imagine on my own, so Adam Howe brings it to life for me. Wickedly good ending.

My Review for Gator Bait

Gator Bait is available by itself and I have already reviewed it. I will share a bite and you can check it out for yourself HERE.

OMG! The ending blew me away and I couldn’t help but laugh. I never could have seen ALL that coming and I love it. The best laid plans often go awry and boy, oh boy, do they.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.

5 Stars all the way for each and every novella.

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Sex Trafficking and High Fashion in Justice For Abby by Cate Beauman @CateBeauman

Posted on December 10, 2017 by fundinmental

I have been reading my way through Cate Beauman’s Bodyguard of LA County Series, and Justice For Abby is Book Six. I love romantic suspense and Cate can sure spin a tale that keeps me wrapped up in the mystery. I look forward to each and every one.

Cover by Demonza

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman is Book VI of the Bodyguards of LA County Series and I have been eating these romantic suspense novels up, like the M&Ms I love so much. This may be the best one yet.

Abby is taken from the rest area parking lot, right in front of her sister, Alexa, and her daughter, Livy. With the threat of harm to her family, Abby is forced to work for them, but her eye is always on escape.

After her rescue, she has lingering affects, flashbacks and panic attacks, and fears that she won’t be able to come back if she loses herself…again.

She is the prime witness for the prosecution in the trial for the traffickers. She is single handedly bringing down the largest sex ring they’d ever seen, so she has a bullseye on her back. They want her DEAD.

The traffickers are brutal, savage, only interested in themselves. The women are possessions, bought and sold, passed around like a commodity. Imagine the threat of death and torture hovering over your head, day after day, month after month, year after year, with no relief in sight.

Abby is a fighter with a big heart. She is making a name for herself in the high fashion world and paying it forward by creating opportunities for those less fortunate, hiring some of the women she knew from her captivity.

Her bodyguard, Jerrod lives with her, protecting her. He is all business, but will the sexy little kitten win over his heart? Me thinks so. I love the recurring characters and the danger that surrounds them as I wait…for that terrible something to happen.

Margret…my heart goes out to Margret and I know there is nothing Abby won’t do to try and save her.

Shelby, beware of a woman scorned and a shallow one at that. Can a villain be redeemed? I always have hope, but you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Cate Beauman describes the scenes in such vivid detail that I can see Abby dancing, singing, and shaking her bootie as she cooks and I can’t help but smile even as I type these words. Makes me want to get up and dance.

When the shit hits the fan, I love how Cate Beauman handled it and she sure has me terrified, wondering…

I love how Cate Beauman twisted and turned the normal romantic suspense beast, you know, that push and pull of attraction, the dance between yes and no, making my rating of Justice For Abby over the top.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Fashion designer Abigail Harris has been rescued, but her nightmare is far from over. Determined to put her harrowing ordeal behind her and move on, she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life while eluding the men who want her dead.

The Mid-Atlantic Sex Ring is in ruins after Abby’s interviews with the police. The organization is eager to exact their revenge before her testimony dismantles the multi-million dollar operation for good.

Abby’s safety rests in the hands of former US Marshal, Jerrod Quinn. Serious-minded and obsessed with protocol, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest agent finds himself dealing with more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on his beautiful, free-spirited client.

As the trial date nears, Abby’s case takes a dangerous turn. Abby and Jerrod soon discover themselves in a situation neither of them expect while Jerrod fights to stop the ring from silencing Abby once and for all.

ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.

For information on Cate’s new releases, monthly giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td

Contact Cate: Amazon Author Page / BookBub

Social links: Twitter / Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

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Magical Children’s Adventure – The River Keepers by Michael F Stewart @MichaelFStewart

Posted on December 8, 2017 by fundinmental

The fabulous cover for The River Keepers by Michael F Stewart is done by Martin Stiff. Great job, Martin.

I love when a cover depicts the story inside and Martin’s cover was only the first step drawing me into the adventure.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I had read A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart and loved it, so when Michael offered me a copy of The River Keepers for review, I snatched it up and began to read.

I love that the adventure is in their own backyard. So…after your children read this, you may see them outside, looking…

Natasha and Teagan are sisters. Actually, they are more than that. They are twins, mirror opposites.

A freak storm. A downed tree. What’s that I see?

At eleven years old they are off on an adventure that leads them to research and learning, getting lost in the magic and growing in ways they never could have foreseen. Their adventures will not only change their lives, but their parents too.

I love how Michael slips a little science and ecology into the story in a way that is sure to intrigue everyone. I love when there is a lesson to be learned and it is wrapped up in a wonderful and entertaining tale, sending a subtle message to all who read it.

A skunk, a mouse, a frog…what would it be like to walk and hop in their footsteps?

You will never look at critters…or gnomes…the same way again.

When the skunk sprayed…I laughed out loud.

When the mouse squeaked…I cringed in fear.

Michael F Stewart has created a magically wonderful adventure that is suitable for all ages. To all you adults out there…let your inner child run wild!

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

What would you do if your sister turned into a skunk?

How about a mouse? Or a frog? Would you want to be a snake?

Have you ever wished to swim like an actual fish? Wouldn’t you worry that a snapping turtle might take a bite out of you?

In The River Keepers, two sisters must rise to meet an unexpected challenge. It’s a story infused with the magic and drama outside their backdoor — perhaps yours, too.

ABOUT MICHAEL F STEWART

Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the 2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.

He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series. Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson Education.

For adults, Michael has written THE SAND DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next.

Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter @MichaelFStewart.

Michael is represented by Talcott Notch.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

MY MICHAEL F STEWART REVIEWS

A Cold Dark Place

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Dark and Dangerous – Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff

Posted on December 7, 2017 by fundinmental

Alexandra Sokoloff has blown me away, with her Huntress/FBI Thriller Series. Huntress Moon, Book I (see my review here) continues through Blood Moon, Book II (see my review here) and I am unable to stop reading. It’s like Lays Potato Chips…you can’t eat just one. Well, I couldn’t read just one. I went through Book II, III and IV on a binge read. And…I see there is a Book V, Hunger Moon, and I aim to get my hands on that one too.

The covers are awesome and kudos to the designers. Cold Moon is done by…

Inkd

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

After reading Blood Moon, Book II, by Alexandra Sokoloff, there was no way I could stop. I kept on reading through Cold Moon and Bitter Moon. Now I see we have Hunger Moon, which would be Book V, and I will jump through hoops to get my hands on it.

The moon talks to Cara. Does it talk to you? What does it say?

We begin with Roarke’s nightmare, waking him. Cara…

She faces her own terror in the night, but vows IT will never take her.

“Fair as the moon and cold as ice.”

Roark’s team functions like a well oiled machine, even when personalities occasionally clash and opinions differ. They always get their ‘man’.

Cold Moon takes an even closer look into the depraved, the abused, the lost and those who care about them. Human trafficking of women and children, enslaved in prostitution, bought and sold, used and abused. Who will stand up for them, defend them, save them?

How can an online presence affect people, politics, legalities, courts…The anonymity of cyber activism.

I do not want to spoil any of the goodies contained in Cold Moon, the third book of Cara and Roarke’s story, so I will just throw out some hints and ask you…what would you do?

Evil…can you see it, smell it, touch it, feel it? Is it alive? Do you do something about it yourself?

Is it self defense, if you know evil is coming your way, and you take it out first?

My emotions are raging in anger and disgust. I know this goes on, day in and day out, and I wonder if those who, in real life, try to stem the flow of evil feel it is too big, there are too many. One by one they WILL fall.

“There is something larger at work…a force beyond the simply human. A female vengeance against outrages.” Santa Muerte

“Sometimes death for one is salvation for another.”

I love the dark and dangerous, unique and original, direction Alexandrar Sokoloff takes in this story. I am afraid to google some of the online forums she talks about. I am afraid of what I will find out. Will evil know I am looking and come for me? She continues to thrill and amaze me, disgust and frighten me, leaving me ALWAYS wanting more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The hunt for mass murderer Cara Lindstrom is over. FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke has been working for this moment: the capture of a killer who savagely hunts the worst of humanity. But Roarke remains traumatized by his own near-death at the hands of the serial killer who slaughtered Cara’s family…and haunted by the enigmatic woman who saved his life.

Then the sixteen-year-old prostitute who witnessed Cara’s most recent murder goes missing, and suddenly pimps are turning up dead on the streets of San Francisco, killed with an MO eerily similar to Cara’s handiwork.

Is a new killer on the loose with a mission even more deadly than hers? In the pulse-pounding third Huntress/FBI Thrillers book, Roarke will have to go on the hunt…and every woman he meets, even those closest to him, may prove deadly.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF

I’m the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the Amazon bestselling crime and supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between, and the new Thriller Award- nominated Huntress/FBI thriller series: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon. The New York Times Book Review has called me “a daughter of Mary Shelley” and my novels “some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”

I’m a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.

In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.

I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (http://screenwritingtricks.com)

I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.

When I’m not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing – I do it all, every chance I get.

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MY ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF REVIEWS

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A Princess & A Dragon – Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler @MegWelchDendler

Posted on December 3, 2017 by fundinmental

Covers are the first thing that influences me to even pick up a book and Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler has a very cute one that I found impossible to resist. I could tell it was a children’s cover, but that’s perfect, seeing it’s a children’s book. Suitable for children of all ages. From three to one hundred and three.

Meg’s daughter, Callista, did the cover drawings for the dragon and Bianca. Kelsey Rice added color, style and put it all together. Well done!

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

The cute cover lured me in and I was thoroughly entertained by Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler. It may be recommended for ages 3+ and up, but I think everyone will fall in love with the characters that come into Bianca’s life. I know I did.

Bianca is a thirteen year old princess considered so frail by her father, King Dominic, she ias kept isolated in the castle, not allowed to go outside, let alone play with any of the town children. Her highlight of the day was her subjects amassing below the castle tower window, cheering and waving at her.

No one knew, but she entertained herself, running and playing on the stairs, sword slashing at imaginary foes, and lots and lots of reading. Don’t we all get lost in stories?

No one expects her to do anything but be pretty, don’t worry about anything, and eventually get married to her chosen mate. But when her father and the knights never return from the hunt for the dragon, she makes up her mind it is her duty, as the princess, to find them.

She sets off with Sammy, the donkey. Imagine never doing anything for yourself, never having been outside, never feeling the sun on your face, the grass beneath your feet, the dust in your nose. The stories never prepare you for ‘real life’, but Bianca has no fear. She will figure it out, whether it’s finding shelter or cooking her own meal. A very determined young lady that any child would love to emulate.

She meets a witch, fairies, a magical cat, a dragon, a wolf and other animals that hang in the forest. I worried for her…a little…but she had magical help from the animals around her and I knew they were looking out for her. And the dragon…Well, you will have to read for yourself to find out with him.

If you are looking for a children’s book that will give yourself and your little ones hours of reading pleasure, look not further. This is it. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started and it took me under four hours to finish it. I debated on the rating because I love heavy and dark reading, but this is a children’s story that I loved and think ‘children’ of all ages will too. A well deserved four stars.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Princess Bianca had never set foot outside the castle walls. Not once in her over-protected, pink, fluffy life. But when a dragon was spotted in the land and fear spread that the monster had conquered the king and his brave knights, Bianca realized that it was her duty to protect her kingdom. She will have to prove that she can be braver and stronger than anyone believed because the threat outside the protection of her castle tower was more dangerous and magical than she ever imagined possible, except in a fairy tale.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meg Dendler has considered herself a writer since she won a picture book contest in 5th grade and entertained her classmates with ongoing sequels for the rest of the year. Beginning serious work as a freelancer in the ’90s while teaching elementary and middle school, Meg has over one hundred articles in print, including interviews with Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. She has won contests with her short stories and poetry, along with multiple international awards for her best-selling “Cats in the Mirror” alien rescue cat children’s book series. Meg is also an editor with Pen-L Publishing and works with independent and self-publishing authors to polish their manuscripts for publication.

Meg and her family (including four cats and her dog, Max) live in Arkansas. Visit her at www.megdendler.com for more information about upcoming books and events and all of Meg’s social media links.

In the first book of the Cats in the Mirror series, “Why Kimba Saved The World,” feisty house cat Kimba learns that she is really part of an alien race and has to pick sides between her loyal human family and her feline destiny. The second book, “Vacation Hiro,” came out in November of 2013. These first two books in the Cats in the Mirror series have been honored with Silver Mom’s Choice Awards, and “Why Kimba Saved The World” won a Bronze Moonbeam Children’s Book Award as “Best First Book.” Book 3, “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge,” released on September 12, 2014. A companion book to her Cats in the Mirror series, “Max’s Wild Night,” was published in May, 2015, and Book 4 in the Cats in the Mirror series, “Slinky Steps Out” joined the pack in the spring of 2016. An adult book, “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main,” was released by Pen-L Publishing in September of 2015.

Website / Blog / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / LinkedIn / Instagram

FOLLOW THE TOUR

Dec. 1 Meg Dendler’s Blog & Book Launch/Promotion

Dec. 2 Book ‘Em Book Club (Interview)

Marion Marchetto (Review)

Dec. 3 Fundimental (Review)

Dec. 4 Ellie Mack (Review)

Dec. 5 Michelle Dunton @ Writing Fun (Phone Interview,Skype?)

Dec. 6 H. L. Burke (Promo Post)

Typewriter Society (Interview)

Dec. 7 Amanda’s Books & More (Guest Post)

Dec. 8 Kay LaLone (Review)

Missy Sheldrake (Promo)

Dec. 9 Kris Riley at “My Blissful Books” (Review)

Dec. 10 Coffee Addicts Book Review (Review)

Dec. 11 Waggy Tails Dog Blog (Review)

Lily Iona MacKenzie (Interview)

Dec. 12 Whispering Stories (Review?)

Dec. 13 Read Explore Repeat (Review)

Cat Michaels (Review)

Dec. 14 Sorchia’s Universe (Promo Post)

Cover2CoverBlog

Dec. 15 A Day in the Tangled Skein of My Life (Review)

Dec. 16 Watch Jane Write (Review)

Dec. 17 Meg’s Blog for Wrapup

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Friday 56 #146 – Vostok by Steve Alten @meg82159

Posted on December 1, 2017 by fundinmental

.
The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

OMG. Such a fabulous cover of Vostok by Steve Alten, a Meg(a) Hit. There is no way I will ever pass on the chance to read one of his novels.

You can see my 5 star review here.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY 56

At one point she interrupted the conversation to remind me that Willy’s nanny was due to leave soon and that we really needed to get back to our room

And then she winked!

That was all the prompting I needed.

(Pages 56 in hardcover published in 2015)

GOODREADS BLURB

East Antarctica: The coldest, most desolate location on Earth. Two-and-a-half miles below the ice cap is Vostok, a six thousand square mile liquid lake, over a thousand feet deep, left untouched for more than 15 million years. Now, marine biologist Zachary Wallace and two other scientists aboard a submersible tethered to a laser will journey 13,000 feet beneath the ice into this unexplored realm to steve

In this sequel to The Loch and prequel to the upcoming MEG 5: Nightstalkers, New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten offers readers a crossover novel that combines characters from two of his most popular series.

Steve Alten is the New York Times and International bestselling author of fourteen novels, including the MEG series about Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70-foot, 100,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the Great White shark and Domain trilogy, a series about the Mayan Calendar s 2012 doomsday prophecy. His work has been published in over 30 countries and is being used in thousands of middle and high school curriculum as part of Adopt-An-Author, a free teen reading program, which he founded with teachers back in 1999.”

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She’s Kicking Ass Again in Strong to the Bone by Jon Land @jondland

Posted on November 20, 2017 by fundinmental

Buckle your seatbelts, because Strong to the Bone by Jon Land is one rootin tootin, smash bang novel of action and mystery that culminates in a rip roaring ending not to be missed.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I am so happy to be back into a rootin’ tootin’ Caitlin Strong adventure. The Texas Rangers and Nazis…doesn’t bode well for the Nazis. LOL

Right off, Jon Land does what he does so well, makes me so curious and surprised about our prisoner of war camps in Texas during World War II, that questions arise. Why have I never thought of this before? Was I never taught in school? Is is true? I know a lot of people don’t care one way or another about prologues, but this one sure did it’s job. Sent me straight to Google. I had to know more.

I can picture Caitlin on top of the fire truck, spraying the rioters with the fire hose like Al Capone sprayed his enemies with his tommy gun. A young woman is in distress, possibly being raped, and nothing will stop Caitlin from going to her rescue.

If you are not familiar with Caitlin, let me introduce you. She comes from a long line of Texas Rangers, but until she was raped in college, she had no plans to follow in their footsteps. Now…she’s a kickass, no holds barred force to be reckoned with. She goes in with guns blazing, her fists and legs pumping, doling out justice.

I love that Jon Land is constantly challenging Caitlin in personal and professional ways.

She teams up with her sweetie, Cort Wesley. He’s an ex Green Beret, maybe a bit tarnished, but that will only serve him well when he meets up with Armand Fiskar. Armand is the son of the man who created the Aryan Nation, only he has more grandiose plans.

I am lovin’ Paz, an ex Venezuelan secret policeman, sent to kill Cort. Now they walk together. I love characters who have walked the wild side, yet are able to redeem themselves.

And neo Nazis…smacks of reality.

Cort, Paz, and even Caitlin, though she doesn’t acknowledge it, have a little bit of help from the paranormal.

Moments to laugh, moments of anger, smiles and frowns, humanity in all its glory and disgust.

Jon Land’s creative writing shows his humorous side, when he allows his characters to replace the Captain’s cigarettes with the candy kind. Do you remember eating them as a kid?

The Aryan Nation, neo nazis, bioterrorism, organ transplants, weapons of mass destruction…so many underlying plots culminate in a blown out ending. I am a lifelong fan and eagerly await each and every story Jon Land has to tell.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Strong to the Bone by Jon Land.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong takes on a gang of neo-Nazis in Strong Cold Dead, an action-packed novel of the critically acclaimed Caitlin Strong series by Jon Land

1944: Texas Ranger Jim Strong investigates a triple murder inside a Nazi POW camp in Texas.

The Present: His daughter, fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, finds herself pursuing the killer her father never caught in the most personal case of her career a conspiracy stretching from that Nazi POW camp to a modern-day neo-Nazi gang.

A sinister movement has emerged from the shadows of history, determined to undermine the American way of life. Its leader, Armand Fisker, has an army at his disposal, a deadly bio-weapon, and a reputation for being unbeatable. But he s never taken on the likes of Caitlin Strong and her outlaw lover, Cort Wesley Masters.

To prevent an unspeakable cataclysm, Caitlin and Cort Wesley must win a war the world thought was over.

ABOUT JON LAND

JON LAND is the USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels, including Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break, Strong Vengeance, Strong Rain Falling (winner of the 2014 International Book Award and 2013 USA Best Book Award for Mystery-Suspense), Strong Darkness (winner of the 2014 USA Books Best Book Award and the 2015 International Book Award for Thriller), and Strong Light of Day (winner of the 2015 Books and Author Award for Best Mystery Thriller and the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Mystery). Land is a graduate of Brown University. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

MY JON LAND REVIEWS

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One Sentence Review – Eclipse Lake by Mae Clair @maeclair1

Posted on November 18, 2017 by fundinmental

.Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Eclipse Lake is a fully developed story with complex characters and detailed descriptions of a small town called Onyx, that is character driven, with romance the spotlight and suspense being the dot on the I, making me believe in second chances.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Small towns hold the darkest secrets.

Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.

But memories in small towns are bitter and long.

Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.