Tag Archives: Ellis Vidler

Books From The Backlog – Cold Comfort by Ellis Vidler @ellisvidler #booksfromthebacklog

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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.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Cold Comfort

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

After being dumped by her faithless fiancé, Claire Spencer has abandoned her dreams of a family of her own tucked neatly inside a picket fence. Instead, she’s plotting her solo course and settling for a quiet life as an independent Williamsburg shop owner. So how does she become a killer’s target?

Sometime security consultant Riley, burned out, disillusioned, and haunted by a young girl he couldn’t save, vows never to work with women again. But when a thug tries to kill the friend of a friend, the woman winds up in his arms, and all Riley’s plans go to hell. Knowing she’s in danger, he can’t walk away.

While dodging speeding cars, ducking bullets, and escaping through murky swamp waters, conventional Claire and freewheeling Riley struggle against their powerful chemistry—if she’s picket fences, he’s barbed wire.

Opposites do attract.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.95  · 442 ratings  · 64 reviews

I added Cold Comfort by Ellis Vidler to my TBR on 1.9.13. I have read some of her work and loved it, so to add another book of her to my reading shelf was easy to do…and…escaping through murky swamp waters…sounds like a wild ride and I am looking forward to reading it.

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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Books From The Backlog – Haunting Refrain by Ellis Vidler @EllisVidler #booksfromthebacklog

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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.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Haunting Refrain

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

Suspense, a little romance, a touch of paranormal . . .
Photographer Kate McGuire hopes for a little fun in her life when she joins a parapsychology experiment–visions of murder aren’t part of the plan. Then her eccentric friend Venice, a complication all by herself, leaks the story to a reporter, and Kate’s life turns upside down. The police don’t take her seriously, but the murderer does.
Kate’s distrust of the press causes her to clash with the one person who can help her—the skeptical reporter who got her into trouble in the first place. Now it’s up to Kate to find the killer before anyone else dies.
Haunting Refrain is the first book in the McGuire Women psychic series; each book features a different member of the family.
Author’s Note: This is a reprint of the book published by Silver Dagger Mysteries. Same book, new cover. Cover art by Anne Cain.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.75  ·  280 ratings  ·  46 reviews

I added Haunting Refrain by Ellis Vidler to my TBR on 1.9.13. I love paranormal romance and this book seems to have it all. A bonus, she is a photographer. I love photography and snap pics like it is nobody’s business. How about you? Are you a visual person?

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Saturday Shorts – She is the Prime Target by Ellis Vidler

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Prime Target by Ellis Vidler is a thriller and suspense novel that had me on pins and needles as I hid out with Grace.

Are you safe in WitSec?

Prime Target

MY REVIEW

All I can say is Ellis Vidler outdid herself with this awesome story filled with suspense, thrills and romance. What do a stray dog, a severely damaged veteran and a wanted woman have in common?

It all started with, “Maddie, come home right now. I’m in trouble.”

It was the end of life as she knew it. Now she is on the run and even WitSec is not safe. She is the Prime Target and they come at her like the Mafia of old, determined to take her out. Imagine looking over your shoulder, unable to sleep, jumping at the slightest noise, forgetting to answer to your name and looking at everyone you meet with suspicion.

Who would you be if you could reinvent yourself?

I love stories with strong women in difficult situations. Ellis Vidler took me into a world that I can believe is real with her creative writing and ability to keep me guessing as to what comes next. The story was predictable, but the journey, not so much. She adds those extra flourishes that touch my emotions and keep the pacing of the book at a high level of sorrow, romance, danger, terror and…I do love a happy ever after.

I would highly recommend Prime Target by Ellis Vidler.

It even contains a bit of humor along with a lot of suspense:

“They shot Frank again.” I couldn’t help but bust out laughing. I mean, how many times can you kill a guy?

5 STARS

Goodreads Blurb:  Suspense with a love story. Adult language and situations. After witnessing her husband’s murder, Madeleine Schier becomes a killer’s target. She flees her upscale New York life to become a name on a tombstone, relying on her wits and imagination to survive in a world where danger is everywhere. One wrong move could be her last. Should she trust the damaged recluse who’s always near? Before long, her new life turns into her old nightmare when crimes that were once distant horrors on the nightly news turn up on her doorstep.

  • To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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You can also see my review for Time of Death by Ellis Vidler.


Friday 56 #44 & BB #20 ~ Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

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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.

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TIME OF DEATH by Ellis Vidler

I read this some time ago, but would like to share it with you.

You can see my review here.

Add to GoodreadsMY 56

Isobel continued. “Under that bad-boy charm, Connor’s a man with a mission. Something’s driving him. but he’s sexy enough to keep you awake at night” Her eyes closed briefly, then she blinked and pursed her lips. “you’ll have to be more careful. I don’t see Connor as buying the family gift – or maybe curse, in your case. He seems wild, but he’s pretty hard-nosed. At least that’s his reputation in court. Very focused and intense. It’s the only reason he keeps his job.”

(page 56 in paperback)

~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BEGINNINGS

Startled by the approach of two men in business suits, Alex wobbled on her perch in the great oak. She tightened her grip on her camera and inched further up against the branch as they slogged across the sandy soil toward the beach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SYNOPSIS

Artist Alex Jenrette has a psychic streak—or is it a curse? While visiting on an island near Charleston, she draws scenes of murder that turn out to be real. The police think she’s involved, prosecutor Connor Moran fears a psychic witness will destroy his case, and the killer believes she was there. But she wasn’t, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you believe in psychics?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

FREE Paranormal Thriller – Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

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TIME OF DEATH by Ellis Vidler is free today and tomorrow – September 24 – 25, 2014.
.
This is a fantastic paranormal thriller.
 .
Look below for my review and an excerpt from Ellis Vidler.
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 .

MY REVIEW

Do you believe in visions?

I love that the story starts out with Alex up a tree.

Her hand begins to itch, the urge to draw overwhelms her. She was hiding from the two Tree woman Pictures, Images and Photosmen, but she heard a sound that made her look. She saw only one man on the dock and felt the urge to run, trying to keep out of sight. She didn’t know, but Jelly, the chauffeur, had seen her.

As soon as she got home, she sat down and began to draw, her hand moving on its own. It seemed it only happened when violence  was near.

Alex was living on the island with her Aunt Chicora , because a tree had fallen on her house during a storm.

Storm Damage

She ran into Connor, the prosecutor, at the restaurant. He convinced her to join him for dinner. Rollins had followed her there, with Jelly. Rollins was the man she had seen alone on the dock. His plan was to take care of her now.

She had no idea how much dinner with Connor would change her life forever.

~~~~~~

“An enigma wrapped in a riddle”

I loved the cover. The colors and photograph captured my eye. I must confess, I do choose a lot of the books I read by the cover first. The title is appropriate and catchy .

I have a special fondness for trees. I am amazed at the number of books I choose that have a tree on the cover in some way, shape or form.

I fell into the book and couldn’t climb out until the last page was read. I really thought that was how it would be, before I even opened the cover. It has all the elements for a good book.  A woman in distress, yet she is strong, loving, and forgiving. She has friends around her. The bad guys are after her. And she finds a man and his dog to ride off into the sunset with. Throw in some psychic abilities, numerous plot lines and characters, and you have a hit.

I read it in one sitting and it was every bit as entertaining as I thought it would be. The book was well written and Ellis kept the action rolling from cover to cover. I am eager to read more exciting stories from this wonderful author.

I won this book in a giveaway on fuonlyknew’s blog. I love to add signed, first editions to my book collection. Thank you Laura, at fuonlyknew, and Ellis for having the giveaway.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos     4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

~~~~~~

SYNOPSIS

Alex, the artist. After a tree falls on her house, she joins her aunt on an unspoiled island, but something wakens her family psychic streak. She draws eerily accurate scenes of violence, but she knows nothing about them.
 .
Connor, the prosecutor. He’s building a case against a drug lord one piece of evidence at a time. For him it’s personal, and he can’t risk a relationship with a witness, especially a psychic who’ll blow his case out of the water.
 .
Rollins, the killer. He’s a cog in a much bigger wheel, and the witness to his acts of violence threatens his operation and his life. He’ll do anything to see that doesn’t happen.
 .
When violence is near, Alex is compelled to draw the scene. While she relaxes on an unspoiled island near Charleston, South Carolina, violence disrupts the tranquil scene when a dead man takes shape on her sketch pad. She knows nothing about the man, but the killer believes she witnessed the murder and sets his sights on Alex. After seeing her drawing, the police think she’s involved, and the prosecutor fears a psychic witness will destroy his case. Now, with danger at every turn, she must uncover a killer before he destroys her and her loved ones.
.
.~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Alex smoothed the paper on her board and took a number 2 stick of Payne’s gray from the box, gazing toward the water. The bleached skeleton of a tree lay on its side, smooth and ghostly in the fog. Thin light from the morning sun touched the trunk, giving it a shimmering, ethereal glow. She began drawing, selecting pastels without conscious thought. She worked steadily, intent on capturing the scene before her.
 .
When she was satisfied, she replaced the used sheet with a fresh one and shifted so she could see the old pier. The last wisps of mist hung there, creating the image of a translucent walkway floating above the water. The fog hid the broken board—senseless violence. She sketched without thought, her hand moving automatically over the paper. The pier faded from her vision as her fingers flew. A face, swollen and distorted, took shape under the charcoal.
 .
She blinked, startled by what she’d done. Not the mist-shrouded wooden structure, but a dead face. The face that belonged to yesterday’s body, so misshapen she couldn’t tell if she’d ever seen it. Shaken, she ripped the paper off her board and crammed it into her bag. Later she’d examine it, think about what she’d drawn. Now she wanted only to get away. She packed her materials and hurried from the cove, heading toward Chicora’s breezier ocean side to clear the images from her mind, to concentrate on happier things.
.
You can also get your Amazon affiliate copy of Time of Death by Ellis Vidler by clicking on the cover below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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WINNERS!!! of Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

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  My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winners. So without further ado, the winners of Time of Death by Ellis Vidler are:

Print Copy – Cassandra

Ebook – JaxGrampy

Congratulations !

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.

To see my Review, go HERE.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you would like to purchase the book, click on the cover below.

Related articles

Freebie and Giveaway – Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

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TIME OF DEATH is free for Kindle March 5 – 7.
.
I am also having a Giveaway HERE. There is 1 print book and 1 ebook up for grabs. If you win, you can opt to trade it for another one of Ellis Vidler’s books. So, you can’t lose. Come on over and enter today.
.
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Time of DeathAlex, the artist. After a tree falls on her house, she joins her aunt on an unspoiled island, but something wakens her family psychic streak. She draws eerily accurate scenes of violence, but she knows nothing about them.
Connor, the prosecutor. He’s building a case against a drug lord one piece of evidence at a time. For him it’s personal, and he can’t risk a relationship with a witness, especially a psychic who’ll blow his case out of the water.
Rollins, the killer. He’s a cog in a much bigger wheel, and the witness to his acts of violence threatens his operation and his life. He’ll do anything to see that doesn’t happen.
.
When violence is near, Alex is compelled to draw the scene. While she relaxes on an unspoiled island near Charleston, South Carolina, violence disrupts the tranquil scene when a dead man takes shape on her sketch pad. She knows nothing about the man, but the killer believes she witnessed the murder and sets his sights on Alex. After seeing her drawing, the police think she’s involved, and the prosecutor fears a psychic witness will destroy his case. Now, with danger at every turn, she must uncover a killer before he destroys her and her loved ones.
.
.
EXCERPT
.
Alex smoothed the paper on her board and took a number 2 stick of Payne’s gray from the box, gazing toward the water. The bleached skeleton of a tree lay on its side, smooth and ghostly in the fog. Thin light from the morning sun touched the trunk, giving it a shimmering, ethereal glow. She began drawing, selecting pastels without conscious thought. She worked steadily, intent on capturing the scene before her.
.
When she was satisfied, she replaced the used sheet with a fresh one and shifted so she could see the old pier. The last wisps of mist hung there, creating the image of a translucent walkway floating above the water. The fog hid the broken board—senseless violence. She sketched without thought, her hand moving automatically over the paper. The pier faded from her vision as her fingers flew. A face, swollen and distorted, took shape under the charcoal.
.
She blinked, startled by what she’d done. Not the mist-shrouded wooden structure, but a dead face. The face that belonged to yesterday’s body, so misshapen she couldn’t tell if she’d ever seen it. Shaken, she ripped the paper off her board and crammed it into her bag. Later she’d examine it, think about what she’d drawn. Now she wanted only to get away. She packed her materials and hurried from the cove, heading toward Chicora’s breezier ocean side to clear the images from her mind, to concentrate on happier things.
.
You can also get your copy by clicking on the cover below.
.

Related articles

Why was the girl up a tree? And what was she hiding from?

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Giveaway and Review for Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

TIME OF DEATH is free for Kindle March 5 – 7, 2013.

I am also having a Giveaway. There is 1 print book and 1 ebook up for grabs. If you win, you can opt to trade it for another one of Ellis Vidler’s books. So, you can’t lose. Scroll to the end of the post to enter.

Time of Death

Add to Goodreads

Do you believe in visions?

I love that the story starts out with Alex up a tree.

Her hand begins to itch, the urge to draw overwhelms her. She was hiding from the two Tree woman Pictures, Images and Photosmen, but she heard a sound that made her look. She saw only one man on the dock and felt the urge to run, trying to keep out of sight. She didn’t know, but Jelly, the chauffeur, had seen her.

As soon as she got home, she sat down and began to draw, her hand moving on its own. It seemed it only happened when violence  was near.

Storm DamageAlex was living on the island with her Aunt Chicora , because a tree had fallen on her house during a storm.

She ran into Connor, the prosecutor, at the restaurant. He convinced her to join him for dinner. Rollins had followed her there, with Jelly. Rollins was the man she had seen alone on the dock. His plan was to take care of her now.

She had no idea how much dinner with Connor would change her life forever.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos     4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

“An enigma wrapped in a riddle”

I loved the cover. The colors and photograph captured my eye. I must confess, I do choose a lot of the books I read by the cover first. The title is appropriate and catchy .

I have a special fondness for trees. I am amazed at the number of books I choose that have a tree on the cover in some way, shape or form.

I fell into the book and couldn’t climb out until the last page was read. I really thought that was how it would be, before I even opened the cover. It has all the elements for a good book.  A woman in distress, yet she is strong, loving, and forgiving. She has friends around her. The bad guys are after her. And she finds a man and his dog to ride off into the sunset with. Throw in some psychic abilities, numerous plot lines and characters, and you have a hit.

I read it in one sitting and it was every bit as entertaining as I thought it would be. The book was well written and Ellis kept the action rolling from cover to cover. I am eager to read more exciting stories from this wonderful author.

I won this book in a giveaway on fuyonlyknew’s blog. I love to add signed, first editions to my book collection. Thank you Laura, at fuyonlyknew, and Ellis for having the giveaway.

.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellis VidlerAs a child in the South, Ellis spent long, hot days imagining herself an Indian or pioneer or musketeer. At night she (and her whole family) read. From Tarzan and D’Artagnan to Anne Shirley and Nancy Drew, she lived them all. No angst in her childhood. So what did she do as an adult? Write fiction, what else? She loves creating characters and making them do what she wants, but mostly they take off on their own and leave her hurrying to catch up.

All her stories have some degree of romance and a lot of suspense. Time of Death, a suspense novel about a psychic artist who sees too much, was released in November. And before that, Cold Comfort, her new romantic suspense. Her first book, published by Silver Dagger Mysteries, was Haunting Refrain. The second was The Peeper, a suspense novel co-authored with retired LEO Jim Christopher. (He’s a terrific storyteller!)

Ellis is an author, editor, and speaker. She grew up in North Alabama, studied English and art at All Saints College for Women, and thoroughly enjoyed studying creative writing under the great Scott Regan. She taught elements of fiction at a community college. Her home is now the South Carolina Piedmont with her husband and dogs. Click here to contact Ellis.

Ellis is currently working on a new book that’s set in North Carolina, tentatively titled Fade Out. She hopes to finish it this summer. It is more like Cold Comfort. Nothing psychic in this one.

If you cannot psychically connect to Ellis, click on a link below:

Blog   /  Website  /  Facebook  /  Goodreads  /  Twitter

The original blog about Anax

To Purchase any of Ellis Vidler’s book, simply click on the cover below. She has too many books to list them all, but click on any cover to be taken to Amazon.

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and PhotosEllis Vidler is offering  for the Giveaway

1 (one) ebook – International

l (one) Paperback – US and Canada Only

Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

Why do you think Alex is up the tree? Entertain me.

Closed. The Winners are – print copy, “Cassandra” – ebook, “JaxGrampy”.

Giveaway will run through 3/11/2013 .

To see all my Reviews, click HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

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