I think I broke her – Perfectly Toxic by Kristine Mason with Giveaway, Review & Excerpt

Posted on November 2, 2015 by fundinmental

I am so excited to share Kristine Mason’s Perfectly Toxic.

For all you hardcore thriller lovers, this is a MUST READ!

Sooo, buckle your seatbelts because this will be a wild ride into the mind of one of the most wickedly evil villains I have ever had the “pleasure” of meeting.

Add me to Goodreads

Perfectly Toxic by Kristine Mason

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GENRE: Romantic Suspense

MY REVIEW

Perfectly Toxic by Kristine Mason is a thriller that stars Melanie Scarlet. I love the CORE and am so excited to finally read Mel’s story. The language and sex scenes are pivotal to the story and I think Kristine handled them well.

“I think I broke her.”

With a start like that, I knew I was in for a horrific ride into the twisted psyche of Adeline. I can hardly wait to dive into all the creepiness to come, and I know there will be plenty of it. As I read along, mini movies played in my head. When I was done reading, I felt like I needed to take a shower.

Well, what can I say about Perfectly Toxic. I had three pages of notes, but it just wasn’t working for me. So…I tossed them out and here I am, just telling you about my feelings about this, hmmm, horrifying thriller and the sadistic, psychopathic, crazy as a loon villain, Adeline and her cohort, Rodney.

I laugh at Frankenstein. that was a comedy compared to what these two were up to. What they were doing goes so far past that, I am finding it difficult to put into words the events in Perfectly Toxic. The lives lost and the torture suffered under their hands remind me of the evil men behind human testing during the holocaust. Both of them belong under the jail, not in it.

The most repulsive thing of all, Adeline revels in it. She loves to watch her toys squirm. There is nothing she won’t do to get what she wants. Feelings…what are those? She sure doesn’t have any warm and fuzzy ones. She is ice cold and beware, to be near her could be hazardous to your health. She is very smart, well educated, manipulative and broken. Something is very wrong with her. OMG, she is not just a psycho, she is bat shit crazy and evil beyond words.

I love all the CORE characters, but I can relate well to Mel, an ass kicking, swamp raised, don’t look at me cross eyed kind of gal. She is the Ice Cream lady. She is also a cleaner. You need something to disappear, just contact Mel. She hides her girlie girlness behind a really sharp knife. She’s the type to stab you with the knife, then cook dinner with it. She is married to Cash, but it doesn’t seem to be going so well. They are both stubborn and have strong personalities. She hangs with men more than women and I do that too. I love that she goes to the dock when she has heavy thinking to do. The water calms her and it has the same effect on me. I have spent many a day Sitting on the Dock of the Bay…wasting time.

Mel’s cousin, Bobby turns up missing and the mystery begins.

When Mel takes Harrison to meet Cash for help, the scenario could be hazardous to Harrison’s heath, but it is laughable. The who’s dick is bigger scenario had me cracking up. Cash’s mantra to control his anger is Unicorns are magical. Imagine seeing a huge hunk of a man repeating those words over and over. His therapist had called his and Mel’s relationship – TOXIC.

Cash buys Mel flowers from the gas station just because. I can relate to that. Mr Wonderful, my hubby, brings home flowers from the grocery store. The element of realism is coming through loud and clear. I love their snarky and sensual dialogue.

Cash’s housemate is a German Shepherd named Dolly. They served in the Army together and she is the one who came home in a wheelchair. I love dogs, so I had to mention her.

Kristine ramps up the suspense as the search for Adeline takes on new meaning. Each of Kristine Mason’s stories read as the most twisted Criminal Minds on steroids episode. They are unique and original.

I am totally engrossed in the love story and then Kristine shocked me, woke me up and the pacing reached a level of urgency I hadn’t felt before.

I would love to be one of her characters, kicking ass, fighting evil and having some hot and heavy sex with a stud. What an adventure and one I only live through in Kristine’s words, hanging on each one.

NOW, we get to the best part, the last quarter of the book. I know how the story will end, villain 0 vs good guys 1 and the guy gets the girl, but, man oh man, the rollercoaster ride to get there leaves me breathless. The nail-biting, rapid breathing, sitting on the edge of my seat is the suspense reading an armchair junkie like myself lives for. I read a lot of mystery and suspense thrillers and it is books like Toxic and authors like Kristine that feed my need for thrills.

I can’t believe that the story lasted only six days. So much happened, so many emotions ran AMOK as I read, my head was spinning. I had to turn around and read it again. I would apologize for rambling on and on, but eh, I can’t help myself.

I received a copy of Perfectly Toxic by Kristine Mason in return for an honest review.

5+++++ Stars

BLURB

What do you get when you mix a mad scientist, a psychopath, an ice cream lady and a repo man? Something perfectly toxic…

Melanie Scarlet is a knife-wielding badass who knows how to dispose of a body, and make evidence disappear. But Mel, a.k.a., the Ice Cream Lady, draws the line at one thing: she refuses to live with her husband, Cash Maddox, unless he quits the repo business that nearly got him killed—no matter how much she loves him.

To thaw Mel’s heart and convince her to leave the Everglades and move back home to Tallahassee, Cash is finally ready to retire from his adrenaline-fueled job…until homeless men begin vanishing. As Mel investigates the disappearances, Cash’s temper goes into overdrive when he realizes his wife has been keeping a dangerous secret from him. She’s been doing more than scooping ice cream—she’s a cleaner for the underground criminal investigation agency, Above the Law.

Mel isn’t the only one with a secret. A scientist has created a drug that will cure psychopaths by deadening the urge to dominate, hurt and murder. To prove his chemical combination works, he uses the homeless as test subjects. He breaks and scrambles their minds, turns them into killers, then tries to fix them. But what if the scientist creates a killer he can’t fix? A true psychopath he can’t control? As Cash joins Mel and the ATL crew, they learn firsthand, the results could be…toxic.

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EXCERPT

“You’re seriously not staying here?” Since she’d left him, there hadn’t been a time that she hadn’t stayed with him when she’d returned to Tallahassee. And those times had been great, until the topic of their marriage and his job had come into play. Then they’d fight, she’d leave and they wouldn’t speak for weeks. A vicious cycle, but one he’d become familiar with—until now. She was changing things up on him, and he didn’t know how to react. He did, but his therapist would likely have a frickin’ stroke.

“Well, you’re seriously not going to change and I seriously want a divorce. So, yeah. I think it’s best if I stay at a hotel.”

He pulled her close. “Stay with me.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “No.”

He pressed his body against hers and slid his hand along her rear. “Give me a few days.”

“I’ve given you two years,” she said, breathless, her gaze shifting from his mouth to his eyes.

She had him there, and he had nothing to counter her argument. She had given him two years, and he arrogantly figured she’d eventually come back to him.

“You’re right,” he said honestly.

“I’m right?”

He nodded and walked her backward. “I don’t want a divorce, but we can’t keep going on the way we’ve been.” He pressed her against the foyer wall. “Give me the time you’re here to prove we can make this work.”

“I’m here to find Bobby, not deal with our marriage.”

“I know, baby. We’ll find him. I promise. I’ve already put word out on the street that we’re looking for him.” He leaned closer. “Just give us a chance.”

Her eyes filled with tears again. “I can’t keep doing this. It hurts too much.”

Knowing he was hurting her left him hollow and shameful. “I’m sorry.”

She punched him in the arm. “You’ve said you’re sorry more times than I can count. Do something about it.”

He kissed her.

She pushed him away. “Not with sex.”

“That’s right. You have your period.”

“I lied.”

“And I just want to kiss you.”

She stared at him, her eyes unreadable. “Sometimes I hate you,” she said, then shoved her hands through his hair and captured his lips.

His therapist would tell him to end the kiss, that they weren’t solving anything, only prolonging the hurt. His therapist could go fuck himself. He had his woman in his arms and she was kissing him. Running her hands through his hair in that possessive way he loved. Pressing her breasts against his chest as if she couldn’t get close enough. Skimming her tongue along his in a way that him hard and ready.

The damned horn beeped again. Mel tore her mouth away from his, then gave him a push. “I’m leaving.”

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ABOUT KRISTINE MASON

Kristine Mason is the bestselling author of the popular romantic suspense trilogies, C.O.R.E. Shadow and Ultimate C.O.R.E. She is currently working on her next trilogy, C.O.R.E. Above the Law, along with a series of Psychic C.O.R.E. novellas.

Although Kristine has published a few contemporary romance novels, she focuses most of her energy on her romantic suspense stories, which she loves for their blend of dark mystery/suspense and sexy romance. She is fascinated with what makes people afraid, and is famous for her depraved villains whose crimes present massive obstacles for her heroes and heroines to overcome.

Kristine has a degree in journalism from Ohio State University and lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, four kids, and two dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s chauffeuring kids, gardening, or collecting gnomes. Oh, and she makes a mean chocolate chip cookie!Connect with Kristine on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kristinemasonauthor, Twitter https://twitter.com/KristineMason7 or email her at authorkristinemason@gmail.com. You can also find out more about Kristine’s books at http://www.kristinemason.net

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GIVEAWAY

Kristine Mason will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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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?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads

#Giveaway – She is Perfectly TOXIC by Kristine Mason

Posted on September 16, 2015 by fundinmental

Kristine Mason’s latest novel, Perfectly Toxic, had me racing through the pages unable to put the book down until the last page was read.

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

“I think I broke her.”

Mel’s cousin, Bobby turns up missing and the mystery begins.

Cash’s housemate is a German Shepherd named Dolly. They served in the Army together and she is the one who came home in a wheelchair. I love dogs, so I had to mention her.

I am totally engrossed in the love story and then Kristine shocked me, woke me up and the pacing reached a level of urgency I hadn’t felt before.

I received a copy of Perfectly Toxic by Kristine Mason in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5+++++ Stars

BLURB

What do you get when you mix a mad scientist, a psychopath, an ice cream lady and a repo man? Something perfectly toxic…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good came from writing it. I realized my passion and found a career I love.

When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

Website / Email: authorkristinemason@gmail.com / Facebook / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR KRISTINE MASON’S NOVELS

Shadow of Danger / Shadow of Perception / Shadow of Vengeance

Ultimate Kill / Ultimate Fear / Ultimate Prey (review coming soon)

Celeste Files: Unlocked

Perfectly Twisted

All covers link to Amazon.

The Celeste Files of the Psychic CORE series are paranormal and supernatural novels that star Celeste, from the very first book in the CORE Shadow Trilogy, Shadow of Danger. I love the mix of psychics and ghosts, with murder and thrills. Check them out below.

Perfectly twisted is the beginning of another series, CORE Above the Law, that takes the characters even further than I thought they would go. I am LOVING it!!!

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ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION

GIVEAWAY

Kristine Mason has generously offered a print copy of Perfectly Twisted (US only) or a $5 Gift Card, your choice. Click for my review of Perfectly Twisted to help make your choice.

Ask Kristine a question and leave your email!

To those who left a comment before I added the giveaway, Kristine and I want you to know how we much we appreciate you, so you will be automatically entered.

Giveaway ends 9/30/15.

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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?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads

Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc ~ Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Posted on January 26, 2015 by fundinmental

I knew when I saw the girl running down the path, I had to have Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc.

Cover art by Beetiful Book Covers.

Is it a stalker? Is it a serial killer?

Let’s read on and find out, shall we?

MY REIVEW of Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc

Love & Mystery in the 6 oh 3, Book I

I saw the cover for Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc and didn’t need to look any further. It was talking to me, telling me ~ READ ME. So I did. 😀

Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc is suspenseful and tragic from the very beginning. I knew what was coming by the blurb, but Nora kept me on my toes as I struggled to weed through the suspects and find the monster that preys on young girls. There are plenty of suspects to keep me – and you- guessing.

In the small town of Hawick Falls, Kara Linn is the first girl to go missing. Using a blog and his newspaper column, Vic Taylor, her uncle, the editor of the newspaper, struggles to keep her name in the limelight. He felt the authorities were not doing enough to find Kara.

Then Lisa Grant disappears. The monster doesn’t know it, but he stepped in it this time.

Lisa was abandoned by her parents when she was two and had come to live with Sophia. Because of her rebellious nature, the question did arise ~ could she have run away?

Teagan Raynes, her guardian, knows she did not run away. Teagan was going to adopt her, so why would she disappear now? Something terrible had to have happened. I can’t imagine the thoughts going through her mind. Feelings of guilt.

Teagan could relate to Lisa, because she had grown up on the streets with her crazy mom, until coming to her Aunt Sophia’s at seven years old. Teagan had left town to make her own way in the world, but returned to take care of Sophia when she became ill. Now that she was gone, it was up to Teagan to care for Lisa.

Teagan’s insecurities kept her from having a long term relationship with men. Her mother had taught her to trust no one and it took a long time to earn her trust. Still, she held something back. Her mother had also taught her to shoot a gun and Teagan is an expert shot with her .38 Special. Now that got my attention. I do like a strong female protagonist and I want to see her take this psycho dirtbag down.

Travis, her boyfriend had the same kind of background. Will they be drawn together or torn apart?

Detective Noah Cassidy had lost his wife and child in a boating accident. His mother left home when he was just a child and his father was a drunk. He was determined to be the opposite of his father ~ he would do right by others. Teagan liked the safe feeling she had when Noah was around. He had an air of self assurance and confidence. Their attraction was mutual, but they fought to control it.

I was happy that Nora took the time for Teagan and Noah to get to know each other in a slow growing relationship. This may be considered a spoiler, but I believe we all knew that this would happen, so I don’t think so. That is why Travis had such a short introduction. He didn’t last very long after Noah came into the picture. LOL

Matt, the priest is always around Teagan, like fleas on a dog. Noah and Matt conflicted as soon as they laid eyes on each other. I could picture the hackles rising as they faced off. Is it a territorial thing, male testosterone running AMOK, or is Noah more perceptive than the rest of us? Is there more to Matt than meets the eye? Just because he’s a priest doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Uh oh, I got a bad feeling. Could it be him?

What’s up with Stacey? She works for Matt, but she is not a very pleasant person for being the church secretary. Is there more than meets the eye there?

Travis, Lisa’s boyfriend, was a suspect too, of course, the prime suspect.

I know it’s vandalism, but the band of Teenage Mutant Meter Feeders could do a lot worse. Or have they?

There are more characters that rotate in and out of the story, doing their part. Sometimes I can’t help but say, “What are they thinking?” “What are they doing? Well, I’ll tell you what they were doing, helping to muddy the waters as I tick off names. Could it be him? Him? Him? Her? Hmmm…

Tragedy strikes, yet we must go on. How? I cannot imagine the felling of helplessness of the ones looking for the missing. I watch a lot of crime shows, but until it happens to you, how can you know how you would react?

Can you imagine the terror of the one taken? Why me? What’s he gonna do to me?

You awake, cold and confused. In the dark, alone and so very frightened. You have nothing to do, but think. The terror builds, as you anticipate your captor’s return. What does he want? Will I live? Will I be tortured? Will I die? You scream, yell, beg, make deals with God (I will be a better person), all to no avail.

Human monsters! Depraved, psychotic, sadistic, truly evil. They revel and get off on others pain, fear and terror.

Still not sure who the bad guy is, but I think there is so much more going on with Teagan than I thought.

My only complaint ~ Teagan was a bit wimpy. Here insecurities and guilt made her seem pathetic at times. I would think her rough upbringing would have toughened her up more. I don’t like criers. I must keep in mind, that women’s tears are different than men’s, so I can overlook most of it, as long as the character comes through in the end. The most frustrating reason for me to cry is when I am very angry. Why does that happen? Does it happen to you?

Will she be able to pull out her gun and shoot someone, when and if the moment comes? What do you think?

She’s always looking around to see if see if she can spot her missing mother, though she does not actively search for her…yet.

I am loving it! Plots and subplots. Yes, the storyline was predictable, but the pacing and doubt of the killer kept the suspense and mystery at a high level. There is no cliffhanger, but there is more to come that I want to learn about.

I am very eager to see Book II.

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

BLURB

The police are stumped. Was she a runaway careening toward disaster or the victim of a predator preying on teenage girls?

When rebellious seventeen-year-old Lisa Grant vanishes from her New Hampshire home, her guardian, Teagan Raynes, becomes ensnared in the frantic hunt to find her. Search dogs lose the girl’s scent at Pretty Park, where another teenager disappeared three months ago. Law enforcement fears a stalker is using the park to abduct young girls. Desperate, Teagan, reluctantly puts her faith in the lead detective, the notorious Noah Cassidy.

Hot-headed, Noah Cassidy’s reputation and job are on the line. Rumors that he attempted to kill the man found guilty of destroying his family in a boating accident have tainted him. To prove his worth, Noah devotes every minute to the case and realizes he’s up against a cunning adversary. Worse, he finds himself distracted by feelings for the attractive, gutsy Teagan. To erase her doubts about him, he must earn back his reputation and let go of his past. He knows what he has to do. He must bring Lisa home and take down the monster who is hunting the girls of Pretty Park before it’s too late.

EXCERPT

In the hallway, Teagan unlocked the door. On the street, a postal truck crawled up the block of New England style houses with sprawling porches, rectangular ranches, and modern Cape Cod homes. She grabbed the envelopes from the mailbox attached to the beige clapboards, stepped inside, and closed the entryway.

She sorted through the ads and bills to the last piece, a large white envelope. The sender used a printed label addressed to her. What was this? She ripped open the flap and pulled out…a holy card?

The picture of Mary Magdalene decorated the front. Someone must have sent a prayer for Lisa? Teagan flipped to the other side and frowned at the words.

Tu sequens morieris

Someone wrote to her in…Latin? Strange. The prick of sweat stabbed the back of her neck. She sat on the sofa and scooped up her phone from the coffee table. As she searched online for a translation, she dug into her memory of high school Spanish to help crack the code. Tu was you and morieris had something to do with death and sequens translated to—

Her breath whooshed out of her. She dropped her cell on the cushion, but the phrase stared up from the screen.

You die next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nora grew up in rural New Hampshire, picking blueberries in her backyard and wandering the woods with her brothers. Now that she’s older, she still lives in rural New Hampshire and enjoys writing stories. She was first published in 2000 and has written historical romances, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and mystery. She is a co-founder of the New Hampshire Romance Writers chapter, which meets monthly at the Bow Library. Here she enjoys great speakers and the company of fabulous authors.