Teaser Tuesday #83 – For the Love of Grace by Andy Blackman #Andy Blackman

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Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 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!

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I was offered a chance to read For the Love of Grace by Andy Blackman and I am so happy I jumped on it. This suspense thriller quickly captured my attention and held it throughout.

Thanks Rachel at Authoright Marketing & Publicity and Andy Blackman for the chance to read and review this fantastic novel of love, loss and revenge.

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY TEASE

Eventually Grace let out a sigh, and said, “Well better get it over with,”and lifted the brown envelope and ripped the top off.

Grace read the short telegram; finally, after staring at the letter what seemed like an eternity, Grace passed it to Julie.

(page 32 in paperback)

The title and cover does not convey how wonderful the story inside really is!

GOODREADS BLURB: Grace Backer had a life full of tragedy. But despite everything, she raised her son, Tom, with her secret intact. Tom is a prodigal child, destined to escape the slums of the East End of London for a better life; circumstances will make him flee his loving mother and their home much sooner than expected.

Tom starts a new life in Odessa, Russia, and with the help of new-found friends starts a business. At last, he is finally accepted into a new and loving family, but one which holds its own dark secrets. A chance meeting with the son of a duke of the realm leads to close friendship and a new business partnership. When Tom decides to move his company to London and have his regal new friend run it, the firm thrives. However, not everything is as it seems, and Tom’s business soon conceals dangerous secrets of its own.

Years later, when Tom finally decides to return to London, he is a wanted man, one hunted by the intelligence agencies. If he is finally to be reunited with his beloved mother and his best friend, he must fight to put the past behind him. But keeping secrets is never easy.

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It’s a Boy and He’s a Dragon – Dragon’s Egg by Emily Martha Sorensen @CleanYAFantasy

I love dragons, so I am very excited to share Dragon’s Egg by Emily Martha Sorenson.

A 58 page fun, quick and easy novella that put a smile on my face.

Such a cute cover that made me grab this without hesitation.

Cover by Eva Urbanikova

Dragon's Egg (Dragon Eggs Book 1)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

 Can a baby dragon throw a tantrum?

Wellllllll, let’s find out.

This is not your usual dragon tale of hot shifters and the maiden in love with him.

It’s a baby.

It has been waiting for a long time….waiting…waiting…waiting…for its parents.

I felt so bad for the poor guy, so lost and alone.

He  imprints before he hatches, on Rose and the stranger. He speaks to them telepathically and they cannot say no.

Rose’s life quickly spins out of control and I can hardly wait to see what happens when…

Imagine all the difficulties of raising a baby dragon…what do you feed it…where will it sleep…where will it go to the bathroom? It’s funny where my thoughts went as I wondered how they would handle something they never could have foreseen coming into their life.

OH NO! All to quickly I reached the end.

Kudos to Emily Martha Sorensen for this fun story and fresh approach.

This quick story was worth every minute and left me wanting more.

Now I NEED Dragon’s Hope.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 STARS

GOODREADS BLURB

Rose didn’t count on becoming a mother to a brand new baby dragon egg.

She’s always wanted to be a paleontologist, and is now in college studying to become one. But a chance meeting at the American Musuem of Natural History turns her world upside down. Because, millions of years after dragons have gone extinct, there’s an egg that seems to be unexpectedly . . . alive.

The egg knows what he wants. He wants Rose and a stranger, Henry, to be his new parents. But can three strangers of two different species become a family?

A 14,000 word G-rated new adult fantasy.

Buy Links:  Amazon, Nook, or Kobo.

 

Emily Martha Sorensen

ABOUT EMILY MARTHA SORENSEN

Emily is a prolific writer with many titles to choose from. She writes of fairies, dragons, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, world peach in short stories and flash fiction.

You can find her on Goodreads & Amazon

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Sherry’s Shelves #103 – Super Moon 11.14.16

Sherry’s Shelves #102 is my weekly update from November 13 – November 19, 2016.

Sunday Post #201 Countdown to Spring..

Stacking The Shelves {200}

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Hello fellow bloggers. Hope you have a great week and a Happy Thanks giving.

Check out this fab Super Moon on 11.14.16. Photos by me and Mr Wonderful.

I just wish I had better equipment. ‘sigh’ Need to win the lotto for that or hit it big at the casino.  😆

15042058_1318575481508365_2305622512957484048_o15025144_1318575514841695_6598461310280159602_o15068353_1318575021508411_8311314363481263981_o15110386_1318573961508517_3794164082730265885_o

15109515_1318575761508337_7659108503453454936_n15042274_1318573234841923_2411978162431961004_o15110454_1318573364841910_2979567221146299967_o15129490_1318574004841846_4588946447742894814_o15068345_1318574154841831_8294896767119362198_oIt will not be seen again until 2034…

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FREE BOOKS

Be sure and check for the “0”

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NEW BOOKS AT fundinmental

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LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

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THIS WEEK ON fundinmental

  • Sherry’s Shelves
  • Review – Dragon’s Egg by Emily Sorensen
  • Review – Empath by Becca Campbell
  • Teaser Tuesday – For The Love of Grace by Andy Blackman
  • Review – For The Love of Grace by Andy Blackman
  • Review – Turning To Stone by Gabriel Valjan
  • Friday 56 – Black Water by T Jefferson Parker
  • One Sentence Review – Grave Danger by Heather Graham

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Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!

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One Sentence Review – Slenderman by Willow Rose @willowredrose

I have read some of Willow Rose’s work and loved it, so when I saw this freebie on Amazon, I had to grab it.

What a creepy, fantastic cover!

Slenderman (Emma Frost Book 9)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Harassment…oh, it is so much more than that…and I wonder if Brutus will go all Cujo on her as the past comes back to haunt her with characters that are so far out there, entitled, mean, cruel, deadly, and the mystery of Slenderman seems to come out of the computer and walk in real life…

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB:  An engrossing thriller from an Amazon bestselling author! Ever heard of Slender Man?

They say he is always there. They say he is always watching. A tall guy in a suit and tie, with no face, and arms like tentacles.

Some say he is an online myth; others will go very far to prove he is real, so far that they might even kill for him.

Fanoe Island is busy with the mayoral election coming up, when suddenly, the sitting mayor is found killed. Rumors tell that a faceless man dressed in a suit and tie did it.

In Emma Frost’s house that she inherited from her grandmother, a box of letters is found that tells a story from a long time ago. A terrifying story revealing a painful chapter in the life of her own family half a century ago.

– Slender Man is a spine-chilling mystery from the bestselling author Willow Rose. It is the ninth in her Emma Frost-series.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Friday 56 #108 – The Cabin by Carla Neggers @CarlaNeggers

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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.

~~~2014-05-11-05-28-38

The Cabin by Carla Neggers is a thriller that will keep you warm on those cold winter nights.

I love the pastel colors for this ‘cool’ cover.

The Cabin (Carriage House, #2)

Amazon Goodreads

My 56

When he came home that evening and told her about Alice’s arrest and never mentioned the tape, Susanna assumed the tape was no good, completely irrelevant – and that Alice hadn’t mentioned it to him. Why should she? She was on her way to prison, her career ruined. If there’s been anything useful on the tape, she’d have turned it over, if only to nail Beau McCarrity and prove herself right.

(Page 56 in paperback)

Book Beginnings

Susann Galway sipped her margarita and watched the countdown to midnight on the television above the bar at Jim’s Place, the small, dark pub just down the street from where she lived with her grandmother and twin teenage daughters. It had been a fixture in the neighborhood for as long as Susanna could remember.

GOODREADS BLURB:  Vengeance, money and murder are menacing companions when they meet in the quiet stillness of an Adirondack winter.

Texas Ranger Jack Galway knows his wife Susanna loves him, so when their marriage hits a rough patch, he supports her decision to take their teenaged daughters to Boston for a break. But now a couple of weeks has turned into several months and Jack has had enough. He wants his family back.

Ex-convict Alice Parker left a mess back in Texas, and she’ll never forgive Jack Galway for killing her dream of ever becoming a Texas Ranger herself. Now, guided by greed and vengeance, she’s got her sights set on his family.

Packing up the girls and her grandmother, Susanna heads to a cabin in the Adirondacks, trying to escape her fears, her secrets . . . and maybe even the man she loves. Little does she realize they are being followed, only this time by her husband . . . and a murderer.

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Which cover do you like best?

The Cabin The Cabin The Cabin


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Giveaway & Review for Onyx Webb by Andrea Waltz & Richard Fenton @OnyxWebb

Onyx Webb Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

Onyx Webb Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard FentonOnyx Webb, Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

Publisher: Courage Crafters Inc. (Oct 22, 2015)
Category: Paranormal Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Thriller, Ghosts
Tour Date: Oct and Nov, 2016
ISBN: 978-0990751830
ASIN: B0179RS90O
Available in: Print & ebook,  235 Pages

If you enjoyed the award winning Book One and Book Two, you will love Onyx Webb: Book Three!

As with Book Two, this next book promises to be just as twisted, dark, and creepy as the web of stories continues to be carefully constructed.  Book Three continues to follow the billionaire Mulvaney family including Koda’s obsession with the ghost girl and his grandfather Declan’s sordid history with the mob, paranormal show hosts Cryer and Fudge, and of course the story of Onyx Webb whose life may finally be ended.

As unrelated as it all seems, the web is slowly being strung together so that the full story of every character and most importantly, the stunning conclusion for Onyx Webb herself will eventually be revealed.

MY REVIEW FOR BOOK I

Onyx Webb, Book I laid a solid foundation for the series.There is so much going on, that I feel I will not be able to rest until I know the whole story.

To see my full review for Book I, go HERE.

MY REVIEW FOR BOOK II

I am excited to continue the Onyx Web series. The writing style, with each person telling their story had me confused in the beginning, but now that I am getting the hang of it, I am loving it.

The combination of mystery and murder, hauntings and ghosts, the paranormal and supernatural, keeps the action and suspense moving right along.

The complex characters have become familiar to me and I am very curious and concerned for their well being. They all have flaws that make some of their decisions seem harsh and wrong.

I knew someone would die. I thought it would be Onyx and I sure didn’t see the authors taking the route they did. Great job throwing that twist in there and I think they will have many more surprises in store for me.

I am loving Katherine, and her solution to the horrific goings on at the orphanage seem like the only way to go.

The story gets heavier, more complicated, and I get more and more involved with each page I read.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

MY REVIEW FOR BOOK III

I am so glad I already have Book III, so I didn’t have to wait to find out what was coming next. Each book has gotten better, for me. I am hooked and this is one series I will read to the end.

Started right out with a murder. How can I not love that?

So much action and the suspense climbs to a new level. Sometimes it seems the characters have no redeeming qualities, but the bad they do is forced on them, other times they feel obligated, want revenge or to avenge the wrong done to someone they know. I feel I need to let go of my attempts to judge them and try to walk a mile in their shoes. 

And now for the tragedy…

OMG I can’t believe the authors did that!!! Fabulous, horrific! I am so sad for…

The developing story has reached a mind blowing level…engrossing, nailbiting, sit on the edge of your seat intense reading…unputdownable…

It is rare that I read a series that keeps getting better and better but Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton have far surpassed my expectations with Onyx Web and I can’t ask for any more than that!

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 Stars

Praise for Onyx Webb Series by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

Onyx Webb: Book One was selected as a Horror/Suspense Finalist in the 2016 IAN Book of the Year Awards!

“This is an interesting story. I liked how you could follow the different people and just knew that there was more to the story. Onyx keeps adding hints that make it feel like it is linked together. I liked all of the characters; they were descriptive and kept me wanting to find out more about them. I admit that I liked Onyx the best so I loved her story and narrations more than Juniper and Koda’s stories.  5 stars”- JBronder Book Reviews

” I found my new favorite book when I opened the first pages of ONYX WEBB. There is not a dropped thread in this exciting, engrossing, riveting, incredible paranormal, suspenseful, supernatural, mysterious, time-switching, multi-character serial…I realize how Dickens’ audience must have felt, hanging on from week to week with bated breath for the newest installment…ONYX WEBB is a story in a class by itself. I can see it becoming a cult classic–and why not? I certainly plan to read it over and over and over again…because in the words of Jacqueline Susann: “Once is not enough. 5 Stars”- Mallory Heart Reviews

“A must read! Onyx Webb Book 2 offers so much to readers. Suspense is so thick readers will go crazy with what will happen next as they follow each of the interesting characters. The characters pop out from the pages and create an air of drama and adventure that will keep readers turning the pages.”- Danielle Urban

” I raved about the first installment with a five star review. The second one is even better and I am completely hooked. I am repeating myself when I say that the writing and pacing are terrific and that all the main characters are very well drawn and realistic Some are very likable and some not. Highly recommended. 5 stars”- James Tepper, Vine Voice

“As the author’s promised, these next three episodes start tying together the characters from past to future. I knew things were going to be revealed. I knew it would get darker, scarier. And I knew there would be new mysteries and questions. What I didn’t expect was for this story to explode. I couldn’t believe how excited, grossed out, and happy I became. I can’t begin to imagine! Every time I thought I knew something, especially about Onyx, I was given another enigma.
As old characters entered the story, and new ones were introduced, I got more excited to read what was in store for them. These authors pull no punches.  So many breath stealing scenes make these some excellent new episodes  I promise you, it’s hypnotic and unpredictable. Oh, and addictive. I should also point out, it’s meant to be read in order so make sure you start at the beginning. 5 stars” Laura Thomas, FuOnlyKnew

About Andrea Waltz and Richard FentonOnyx Webb Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz are a married writing team. Most well known for their business fables, they’re professional speakers who teach audiences on how to overcome fear of failure and rejection.  The Onyx Webb Series is their first serious dive into fiction.

Richard and Andrea have been in love with creating stories together since they met almost twenty years ago and even spent some time in Hollywood writing screenplays, being represented by the producer of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Their favorite genres are suspense, thriller, crime and anything of a paranormal nature which is how Onyx Webb turned into a mash-up of all their favorites!

Website: www.OnyxWebb.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OnyxWebbSeries
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Onyxwebb
Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/OnyxWebbSeries
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101671769414005773146
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5835138.Andrea_Waltz

Buy Onyx Webb, Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

Amazon

Follow Onyx Webb, Book Three by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton Tour

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 24 Review, Interview & Giveaway

With Love For Books Oct 25 Review

SolaFide Book Club Oct 26 Guest Post

Books, Books, & More Books Oct 27 Review & Excerpt

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews Oct 31 Excerpt

Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews Nov 1 Review

fuonlyknew Nov 3 Review

Fang Freakin Tastic Reviews Nov 7 Guest Post & Excerpt

Totally Addicted to Reading Nov 9 Review & Excerpt

Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 14 Review, Interview, & Giveaway

Lisa’s Writopia Nov 16 Guest Post

Fundinmental Nov 17 Review & Giveaway

Infinite House of Books Nov 21 Excerpt

JBronder Book Reviews Nov 23 Review & Excerpt

Curling up by the Fire Nov 30 Review

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GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is for Books I, II, and III, your choice of Print or ebook.  There will be one (1) winner.

Print is open to the U.S. only. ebook is world wide.

 Show the authors some love and leave a comment with your email so I can contact you if you are a winner.
 
Giveaway will run from 11.17.16 – 11.28.16 (due to the holiday).
 
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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Giveaway – The Keep by Tenille Berezay #TenilleBerezay @YABoundToursPR

Welcome to my stop on The Keep (Converters #2) blog tour! 

The Keep (Converters #2)
by Tenille Berezay
Genre: YA Scifi/fantasy
Release Date: November 12th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

After a pardon from the convergence, Desiree returns to the protection of home. But safety is an illusion and her family is shattered by the violent retribution of a desperate enemy. On the run again, Desiree struggles to keep those she loves from a host of gathering threats—debilitating doubts, manipulative converters, dark technology, and a murdering madman. To save them all, Desiree will need more than her ability to convert, she’ll need to redefine her strength.

THE KEEP is the dramatic sequel to THE CONVERGENCE; a continuation of Desiree and Blake’s story.

 
 
Buy
Link
:
Amazon

 
Book One:

The Convergence (Converters #1)
by Tenille Berezay
Genre: YA Scifi/fantasy
Release Date: March 12th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

Hiding unbelievable physical abilities, seventeen-year-old Desiree Morgan buries herself inside the realities of high school. But when Blake Thomas infiltrates her life, all of Desiree’s secrets begin to unravel. With answers come more questions and soon she is entangled in a world of secret societies, human experimentation, perilous power-struggles, and ultimate sacrifice. To escape, Desiree can’t be simply extraordinary…she must redefine the impossible.

THE CONVERGENCE is a story of one girl’s search to understand herself and the realization of what makes her truly great.

 
 
The
Convergence
will be
free on 11/14 and 11/15 and then reduced to $2.99!

 
Buy
Link
:
Amazon

 
Excerpt from The Keep:

      “What you need is combat training.” She points at the screens as they
and the floor light up. The scene wavers then clears, leaving an image looking
remarkably like the island outside. From the desk, Jade hands me a pair of
goggles.

Since she’s being difficult, I slide them on without question. The
sudden realism causes me to stumble backward. With the lenses on, the trees and
vegetation of the island are suddenly alive. Their appearance is so authentic,
I slide the glasses on and off a couple of times.
Jade’s sigh draws my attention to her rolling eyes. “Can you take this
seriously?”
Tipping the goggles up, I glare at her. “Just enjoying the life I have
left.”
Her frown deepens. “You’ll enjoy it more by learning to stay alive.”
She points to the scene and I slide the glasses back on. “You can interact with
anything you see on screen. Use whatever you find for weapons. There are no
friendlies.”
Nodding as if everything she said was totally expected and
commonplace, I step to the center of the lit floor. I clap my hands together.
“I’m ready.”
“I doubt it.” I hear her say before the fight draws me in.
First, a man jumps from the tree to my right. I kick out knocking him
back. He disappears. A shuffling in
the trees draws my attention to
another charging enemy. This one holds a knife in his hands. With a grab and a
flick, I have the weapon. I slash at him and he vanishes. From above, a man
drops. I roll away, throwing the knife simultaneously. It hits his chest and
both he and the weapon disappear.
Two men rush me from opposite sides. Using a large nearby branch, I
club one across the skull and fling one overhead with a well-placed hit between
the legs. I knock the next attacker from a nearby tree by pelting him with the
branch.
Then—from straight ahead—I’m threatened with a gun. I kick out,
knocking it from his hands. The metal glints as it flies through the air.
Sprinting, I catch it and spin to train it on the disarmed man. Seeing his
hands thrown in the air, my finger eases off the trigger.
Instantly, everything disappears. Ripping the glasses away, I spin to
Jade. She’s sitting at the desk, her chin resting on clasped hands, her
beautiful features twisted in disappointment.
I pull in a restless breath. “What?”
She gestures to the now empty space. “I’ll admit you can fight.”
I toss the goggles on the desk. “But?”
Her gaze is level with unflinching honesty. “But you’re not going to
survive.” I bite back my defense—the truth is I’m not even going to fight. Jade
mistakes my silence for acceptance. “I said there were no friendlies. You
should have pulled that trigger without hesitation, instead you didn’t pull it
at all. What you lack is a killer instinct. That’s something I can’t train into
you. You have to find it.”… She spins on a precarious heel and clicks to the
door.
I stop her retreat. “So I’m supposed to suddenly become a blood
thirsty murderer?”
“No, Desiree Morgan. You stay on offense. Always on offense. The
minute you drop to defense is the minute you die.”



About the Author

After living throughout the western U.S., Tenille now claims rural Northern Nevada as her home. If she’s not being consumed by a book–whether her own or another author’s–she’d like to be found horseback riding, backpacking with her high-school sweetheart/husband, or photographing their three beautiful children.

Tenille loves to read any genre (as long as there’s great dialogue with a touch of snark). She believes in authentic characters, romantic sub-plots, and realistic, happy endings.

Author Links:
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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Vigilantism With A Twist – She Bites by #RogerArsht & #CaitlinHawker

She Bites by Roger Arsht & Caitlin Hawker has such a cool cover and fantastic blurb, there is no way I could pass on this vigilante thriller novel. I would like to thank Roger, Caitlin and Archway Publishing for the opportunity to read and review She Bites.

She Bites has a bit of a twist, so keep reading to find out why.

Does this cover talk to you as loud as it talks to me?

She Bites

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

She Bites by Roger Arsht & Caitlin Hawker is my kind of thriller. I am always on the lookout for a new twist to  a familiar story and they supply a fantastic one.

She Bites is action packed from the get-go and I love it. Dog fighting is a cruel ‘sport’ and I do not understand how anyone can get any enjoyment from treating an animal that only wants to please with such cruelty.

Want to take a walk on the dark side…read on.

Dr Robyn Sparks is not only a veterinarian, but a vigilante, doling out punishment to animal abusers. Having critters in a book adds a special little something for me and increases my enjoyment.

I love that Robyn Sparks cares so much for animals that she will stand up for them when others don’t. She is a strong, determined woman, and after my own heart.

She wants them to feel the pain and she dishes it out with a vengeance. She is a female Dexter.

Would I go that far? Would you?

Have you pissed her off? Wellllll, if you have, she will be paying you a visit and She Bites. It WILL be hazardous to your health!

When Jack Williams, a detective with his own issues, comes into her life, it becomes even more complicated.

Two damaged souls are drawn together…by a dog. Their terrors may be different, but their motives are the same.

Is one bad and the other good? Yin and yang?

When dealing with vigilantism, moral questions are raised.

Justice…is it legal…illegal? What would happen if everyone took the law into their own hands?

I don’t see how this can end well, but I want it to.

The writing makes the story flow smoothly and the suspense is a nail biter. How can he not figure out what is really going on with her? How can she keep her secret? Will the authors be able to put their thinking caps on and come up with an ending that I will be happy with, yet find ‘believable?’ That you will find ‘believable? All I can say is…you will have to read it for yourself to find out.

I love it, will highly recommend it, and I will be looking for more of their work.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of She Bites from Roger Arsht, Caitlin Hawker and Archway Publishing.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

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GOODREADS BLURB:  Dr. Robyn Sparks is a veterinarian with a dark secret: she moonlights as a self-appointed vigilante, who deals her own brand of justice to animal abusers by murdering them. If you do bad things to dogs, Robyn does bad things to you.

She Bites tells the story of a talented veterinarian who dispenses brutal judgment. Her work with sick and injured animals provides Robyn with a view of life’s most tender moments as well as a view of man’s most brutal behaviors.

Robyn’s regular habit of sending bad people to the pet crematorium is interrupted when she meets Jack Williams, a damaged detective who is fighting his own demons. Their relationship is a roller coaster ride of tangled emotions and legal close calls.

Ultimately, Robyn has to make a choice: whether to continue down her destructive path and kill a twisted psychopath turned professional dog fight promoter, or to pursue a romance with a cop who believes morality is best served by the hand of the law.

By our estimate, there are tens of thousands of dog fighters in the U.S., forcing hundreds of thousands of dogs to train, fight, and suffer every year. – The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 2016

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

roger arsht & caitlin hawker

About Roger Arsht

Roger Arsht is a mild-mannered high school English teacher by day, but dons his writerly cloak after class and pens the darker side of life. His noir thrillers ask some hard questions about corruption and violence in the world, and what to do about it.

Roger wrote his first novel A Slam Dunk, when, while watching sports, it became illogical to him that a man could don a uniform on Sunday and be a hero, then the rest of the week engage in illegal activities or violence. Knowing his book needed a darker element of writing, he contacted a former student of his, who was loaded with talent, but also horrified him with her scary stories. Caitlin Hawker stepped up to the job and a collaboration was born.

When he’s not writing or hanging out in high school (his favorite place to be,) Roger loves to fish, golf, travel and cook, not necessarily in that order. He and his wife have two grown sons, and live in Park City, Utah with their Golden Retriever rescue dog, Pumpkin.

About Caitlin Hawker

Caitlin Hawker is a self-described “dark” person who loves horror movies and the study of humanity’s darker side. It took her awhile to learn to read and write, until her dad described to her that letters were pictures, and then suddenly it all made sense. Now a prolific writer, she began penning noir fiction in high school, in typical dark, brooding teenager fashion, which scared her teachers. What was a hobby later turned into a career when Roger Arsht walked into the college bookstore where she was working and asked her to help him write a book.

When she isn’t writing, she makes costumes and dabbles in art. Caitlin is a connoisseur of all things weird, and loves to collect facts. Her latest discovery is that the last duel in France was with hot air balloons and shotguns, which ended up setting a field full of sheep on fire.

She and her husband live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Caitlin is planning for the day when she can get a dog.


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$100 Giveaway – The Crush Saga Boxed Set by Chrissy Peebles #ChrissyPeebles

crush-saga
The Crush Saga Box Set by Chrissy Peebles

I was born to die… But to defy fate is to control your own destiny.

Moving to Big Bear Lake was supposed to be a fresh start, but when Taylor Sparks is thrown into a supernatural world, her reality comes crashing down around her when she finds out she’s a KEY player in a dangerous game created 1,000 years ago that will give the witches and werewolves the upper hand against the vampires. Blood will be spilled and secrets will be revealed in this action-packed thrill ride and paranormal romance.

Will Taylor dive into a paranormal world she knows nothing about to be with the one her heart can’t live without?

Or will her life spiral out of control when she learns her blood is needed, just the serum necessary to lift an ancient curse from a group of supernatural beings and give the witches back their magic?

Werewolves will serve as her guardians and protect her until the first full moon of the new year, the night of her sacrifice…

Will she accept her destiny?

Or will she refuse to let evil swallow her up?

amazon get it

Excerpt

Grabbing my purse, I hurried out of the car and locked the doors. Just as I started to walk up the driveway, I felt the cold steel of a muzzle against my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs.
“One sound, and you’re dead,” a harsh, male voice said.
I froze in panic as somebody slipped a black blindfold over my eyes, then gagged me. A man duct-taped my mouth, while another tied my ankles, legs, and wrists with rope. He hoisted me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and horror ripped through me. Help! I’m being kidnapped! my brain yelled, but I dare not cry out for fear of what they would do to me. I did try to fight back, at least to some degree, but I was tied and gagged and could do little about being manhandled.
“Put her in the trunk!” a man yelled.
As I fought, I was thrown, neck-first, into the trunk of a car, and my mind began to race. This can’t be happening! I tried to call out for my parents. If only they could hear me. If only I could scream, maybe Max would bark, and Mom or Dad would come to the door. If only…
Tires screeched, and the vehicle took off down the street. The smell of gasoline made me gag. I tried to kick and scream, but it was tight quarters, and I was still all tied up. I cringed at their muffled voices, wondering what they wanted from me.
“I’m tellin’ ya,” one of the guys said, “we oughtta just kill her now.”
My skin crawled at his nonchalance.
“He’s right,” the other said. “Just do it, right here, right now. We’ve outsmarted her protectors, but for how long? We need to do it swiftly and quickly, before they return.”
“You know the rules,” a low voice hissed. “If we just kill her, they’ll have the legal right to choose another, and we’ll be right back at square one again. We’ve gotta do this by the book.”
“I agree,” a woman said. “We need to stop the Millennium ceremony from happening.”
“I don’t want to kill her,” another woman said. “She’s just…an innocent victim in all this. It isn’t right.”
“If we don’t kill her, they’ll win,” another said. “They’ll gain the upper hand when she gives them what they need.”
“Our enemy will stop at nothing to destroy us,” another said tensely. “Killing her will keep them from becoming more powerful than they already are.”
“It will bring them to their knees!” another shouted.
Great, I thought. A case of mistaken identity is the last thing I need. By their talk, I assumed that killing me was some way to get back at their rivals, though I had no idea who those rivals were. The mafia? Some kind of…street gang? I had absolutely no idea, but I desperately wanted to tell them who I really was, to let them know they obviously had me confused me with somebody else. Maybe if I explain that, they’ll let me go. After all, I hadn’t seen their faces, so I wasn’t a threat. Then it dawned on me: Jesse had just revealed his identity to me. Maybe his clan wants to kill me because I know too much. I wanted to scream at them and tell them, to assure them that I’d never reveal Jesse’s identity, that I’d take his deep, dark secret to the grave with me. Jesse meant everything to me, and I would never betray his trust like that; unfortunately, my captors didn’t give me a chance to explain that to them. I wasn’t completely sure if it was vampires that had me. But they had heard me messing with my ropes and that took Immortal hearing. No human could hear that over the sound of the engine, the radio, and voices talking.
We drove down the lonely stretch of road, and I didn’t hear one car pass by. I considered trying to pop the trunk open so I could jump for freedom. I figured the car was going about eighty, but I figured it’d be easier to heal from a broken neck than a bullet to the head. The rope bindings cut into my skin and began to sting and burn. I wiggled my numbing hands, trying to find some relief, when a man yelled back at me.
“Stop it!” he said. “Or else I’ll kill you right here.”
I shivered at his voice, then obeyed his commands. There was no way he could have seen me no way he could have heard me picking at the ropes. I contemplated how they were going to kill me. It had to be a contract hit, but I wondered why there were so many of them there just to take out a defenseless woman. I also wondered how they could be so heartless.
The vehicle stopped, and my stomach dropped when I heard the doors swing open. This is it, I thought. My time has come. When footsteps approached, I held my breath. The trunk popped open, and strong arms lifted me out and set me down on a hard surface, maybe concrete or asphalt. My legs were wobbly, but one of the men steadied me and untied my ankles. Jerk, I sarcastically seethed. The cold night air hit and my hair blew around. I tried to see through the blindfold, but all I could see was darkness.
A man shoved me forward. “Walk!”
I let out a trembling breath and stumbled to the edge of the hard surface, then felt my shoes sink in grass and damp earth. As I carefully walked forward, a towering fern brushed softly across my face. I took tiny steps because my imagination was in overdrive; I couldn’t help picturing all those pirate films I’d seen of people walking off the plank, and I knew there were a lot of cliffs around. The man behind me kept pushing and shoving, making me go faster than my hesitant feet wanted to carry me, forcing me to trip over what I assumed to be a very long log. Twigs snapped and crunched underfoot. An owl hooted, and crickets chirped. The smell of wet moss, damp dirt, and decaying leaves mingled with the scent of pines, wafting up my nostrils; any other time, the aroma would have been beautiful. My heart lurched. I was sure they were leading me to some isolated location for my execution, a place where no one would ever find me, and that thought sent droplets of nervous perspiration rolling down my face, perhaps mingled with tears.
I refused, however, to go quietly. I couldn’t do much to fight them off, but I wanted to make it harder on them. They’ll have to carry my corpse, because I’m not gonna walk out to the middle of nowhere and shovel my own grave. I’m not doing their dirty work for them! I took a huge step to the left, and then bolted.
Strong arms caught me within seconds, and I flailed and thrashed like a gazelle in a lion’s grasp.
“If we don’t keep movin’, we’re not gonna make it to the designated spot on time,” a man said.
“Maybe I oughtta just snap her like a twig, right here, right now,” said a deep-voiced man.
I screamed through my gag at the thought that the guy wanted to rush my demise.
“No!” another said. “She must be sacrificed at midnight.”
Sacrificed?
Trembling with fear, I thrashed even harder in the guy’s grasp. I suddenly realized that my abduction had nothing to do with a mafia hit, vampires, or a street gang initiation; rather, I was in the hands of some strange cult. I could barely breath, terrorized by fear.
“How much farther?” a man asked.
“We’re here,” another answered.
At that point, I was gasping for breath at the thought of being sacrificed in some weird ritual. I recalled what Fred had said about witches and realized it wasn’t so farfetched of a theory. My heart had never raced so hard. The man held me tight in his grasp, and I tried to fight, but he was so strong, and I was no match for him. My feet suddenly left the ground as he picked me up and carried me. I turned and twisted in his grasp, to no avail. He gently set me down on a cold slab of concrete and forced me to lie down, and I’d never been so terrified in my entire life.
Fingers gripped my ankles and wrists as the rope was tightened around me, securing me to a cold slab. It didn’t make sense to me that they left my blindfold on and my gag in, since they were clearly going to kill me anyway. For all I knew, maybe they thought it was more humane to kill me that way. Perhaps they want to spare me the misery of watching the dagger pierce my heart. I listened intently as they shuffled around, and then I struggled in my bindings.

Get the entire boxed set for just 99 cents this week! Ends 11/19/16

99-cents

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes

Praise for the Series

This was a fantastic box set with magic, action, mystery, twists and turns, vampires, werewolves, witches, and gargoyles. Each book gets better and better and takes you deeper into the mystery!

Book 1 is about Taylor moving to Big Bear Lake and learning it’s a supernatural place and that her crush is something more. Book 2 gets deep! And this is when all hell breaks loose! Taylor is tossed into the supernatural world. She thought she was observing it from the outside, but little does she know that she’s a major player! And she didn’t even know it!

She comes from an ancient line of witches and is supposed to be sacrificed in The Millennium Ceremony. She’s stubborn and fights her supernatural enemy with everything she has. I loved how tough she becomes. There’s a paranormal battle raging and I loved every page. This is one of my favorite paranormal romances ever!

Author Chrissy Peebles

Chrissy Peebles has always loved reading and writing fantasy from the earliest age she can remember. She lives in a busy city with her husband, two children, and one cat (Shadow) and three dogs. (Sparkles, Rosie, and Jack) Chrissy also loves to snap photos as her favorite hobby.

Website * Facebook

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Ends 12/2/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Bah…Humbug by Tony Bertauski @tonybertauski

I have been reading Tony Bertauski’s Christmas stories since the very beginning and have loved each and every one, so I was eager to get my hands on Humbug.

Be sure and check out his other books below, where you can find my review links.

Humbug: The Unwinding of Ebenezer Scrooge (Claus, #4)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Fantastic twist on a familiar tale.

Tony Bertauski has come away with another winner in Humbug. This is one of those books that is hard to review without giving away all the goodies inside.

You may think you know the story, but when Tony Bertauski spins a tale, he creates a world of his own, original, unique and highly creative.

I immediately thought steampunk because of all the technology involved, but cyberpunk will do just fine.

Ebenezer is constantly riding around his castle on a Segway. He is overweight and a bit lazy. He wants what he wants when he wants it and expects his androids to deliver. He doesn’t leave his castle and doesn’t want any human contact. No one knows what he looks like because he projects a created image when he talks ‘face to face’.

At times I felt like Ebenezer got what he deserved and other times I felt sorry for him. After all, we don’t always know what happens to shape a person into who they have become.

We do travel to the future, visit the present and go back to the past to find out his story.

The twists and turns kept me entertained and I surely never saw the end coming. I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Humbug by Tony Bertauski.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos4 Stars

AMAZON BLURB:  Jacob Marley is dead. His business partner, Eb Scrooge, is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, he changes the company’s mission statement. Only his servant droids keep him company.

Until the gifts arrive.

Each Christmas, a messenger forces Eb to look at his life in hopes he will change. But change does not happen in a single night. And only Eb can make it happen.

But who is sending the messengers?

ABOUT TONY BERTAUSKI

Tony BertauskiGet my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’ve written textbooks on landscape design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more finesse, but still informational for the most part.

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted to create stories that kept you up late.

Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write. Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

My reviews for Tony Bertauski’s books:


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