Halloween is Murder (McKinley Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
11th in the Series
Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc (October 3, 2017)
Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1988353616
E-Book ASIN: B073WJD6LY
MY REVIEW
I am always eager to get my hands on another Carolyn Arnold story, so let’s get started with Halloween Is Murder.
Sean and Sara used to be police officers, but now they are Private Investigators and their firm is called Pay It Forward Investigations. It hints at their personalities.They have plenty of money, so they indulge themselves. They are not pretentious, but they do like to spend money. She loves fashion and he loves his Mercedes.
They are sponsoring a haunted house for charity, and Chloe Parsons is there to do a fluff piece. The joke is on her, she’s the victim.
Sara had a knack for getting people to help her out and when she felt the police weren’t doing enough to find Chloe’s killer, she made it her mission. Sean can never say no to her, though he does try. Good luck with that Sean.
I debated on the rating. Most cozies I read are threes and I feel Halloween Is Murder is right there with them. It is a fun easy read and I was pretty sure who it was early on. Carolyn did add numerous suspects and motives, and her misdirection gave me a doubt or two making me wonder if I was wrong.
I do love Carolyn Arnold’s characters and who wouldn’t want a sweetheart like Sean. I had no OMG moments, but the pacing kept the story moving and the easy reading makes this an enjoyable read that I would recommend to all cozy lovers out there.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Halloween is Murder by Carolyn Arnold.
3 Stars
BLURB
Beware of all that goes bump in the night…
Sean and Sara McKinley are excited about the haunted house they’ve set up as a Halloween charity fund-raiser, but things take a ghoulish turn when the reporter covering their story is found dead. With the media keeping mum about how she died, Sara’s curiosity is piqued, and she convinces Sean to take on the investigation through their PI firm.
But this case is not without its challenges. The police are actively investigating it, as well, and it’s not even clear that the woman was murdered. It will take a little cloak-and-dagger, dress-up, and finesse for the McKinleys to get to the bottom of it, but they aren’t the kind to give up.
As they troll for leads and work through the skeletons in the reporter’s closet, they unearth a few suspects, but they’ll need to carve out the whole truth if they’re going to find her killer. If they do so fast enough, there might even be time for a little trick-or-treating.
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
Website – http://carolynarnold.net/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 3 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, EXCERPT
October 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
October 4 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, EXCERPT
October 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Varietats – REVIEW
October 5 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
October 7 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 8 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 9 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW, EXCERPT
October 10 – A Blue Million Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 10 – fundinmental – REVIEW
October 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 13 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 14 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 15 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
Summary:
They rip, they tear, they FEED, and you never come back again.
Here’s how last year’s Gypsy Cob Music Festival should have gone. Lenora “Lenny” Ragno was supposed to rock her duet with her long-time crush, Jeb, during the open-mic competition. Then, swept up in the glow of success, he’d finally kiss her. Instead, Lenny choked on stage and spent the whole year dodging him online. And avoiding playing her fiddle in public. She thought her worst nightmare was behind her, but she was way wrong.
Now, she’s back at Gypsy Cob where avoiding a public performance is about as impossible as hiding from Jeb. She thinks facing him will be the scariest part of the festival, but when one of their friends talks everyone into trying astral projection, Lenny catches the eye of a demonic entity that marks her as its own.
Now, whenever it wants, the demon can pluck Lenny from her reality and transport her to a hellish between-world, haunted by its countless, gruesome victims. If she doesn’t want to become one of them, she must discover the nature of the demon’s hold on her and remove it. But how can she defeat a literal demon when she can’t even get over her personal ones?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
I won this beautiful first edition paperback from Robin Winter and Christy Mauer. Thanks so much for the wonderful giveaway.
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Goodreads
MY REVIEW
Nicole is not your typical teenage girl. She is more interested in science than boys, and she has some very unique parents. They are both professors. She mom sounds like a hippie and her dad is working for NASA…strange bedfellows. Meg, their neighbor helped out with the homeless population. Brian, the postman knows them all.
The mystery surrounding the people of Isla Vista, California, kept me reading. I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck is going on. I felt the characters seemed almost real.
It’s funny…I was watching a Halloween NCIS episode on TV, when I read this Halloween story. If you’re a fan of B movies, you are going to want to read Watch The Shadows by Robin Winter. You may be looking out of the corner of your eye, or over your shoulder, wincing at the whispering sound of IT.
The great writing made even the homeless lovable and real, the peripheral characters becoming just as important as the main ones. It didn’t knock my socks off, but I do think it’s worth the read…And, who knows, you may like it more than I.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In the college town of Isla Vista, California, small, odd things start happening. Science-geek Nicole notes the crows are leaving. Meg Burdigal can’t find her tabby cat, Schrand. Brian the postman feels uneasy at the rustlings, the shadows he’s seen at the edge of his vision on his delivery route in town. Now Nicole sees fewer and fewer homeless in the park. Using her knowledge of biology and forensics, Nicole searches for answers—but will anyone take the horror she finds seriously? In this unusual thriller, “Watch the Shadows,” author Robin Winter explores where the ordinary slams against the extraordinary.
Welcome to Limbo.
Do you think you qualify for Reaper Rewards?
Enter…if you dare…and find out.
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Goodreads
MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW
Limbo by Marko Pandza is a unique and original take on Limbo and the Grim Reaper which had me working hard to visualize the setting, yet laughing at the grisly Reaper rewards, and what happens when someone escapes, when no one reigns in Limbo and it is allowed to ravage humans and Earth, totally out of control, leaving me queasy and asking the question What If.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
This is a story of a man who accidentally becomes Grim the Reaper, the most highly revered killer in Limbo. A place beyond time and space as we know it where psychopaths compete for perverse honour and status as they carry out their deathly duties.
As Grim struggles to hold onto the memories of the life he’s lost, he discovers that the insane being who shaped him (and the course of existence itself) may have sinister plans for the one thing he values most.
In Limbo, the end is only the beginning.
This Baby Business
Heatherly Bell
(Heroes of Fortune Valley)
Published by: Harlequin
Publication date: October 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Strictly business…or is it?
Air force pilot Levi Lambert has seen plenty of danger—but his infant daughter might be the death of him. Fortunately, Levi’s found the answer to his sleep-deprived prayers: his next-door neighbor! Carly Gilmore is willing to be his nanny…until a small white lie turns their arrangement from business to very personal. The fake engagement was intended to keep Levi from losing custody of his baby girl, but is causing all sorts of new problems. Not only does Carly attract trouble like bees to honey, but there’s the little matter of Levi’s smokin’-hot attraction to her. The last thing he needs is to fall in love…
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
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EXCERPT:
How exactly did he manage to look like sex on a stick at the end of a long day? He had this whole badass look going on, late-afternoon scruffiness over his jawline, making her want to rub against him like a cat.
Bad, bad Carly. “I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”
“Oh, yeah. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck finding another sitter. I’ll make a few calls tonight.” He followed her into the family room.
“That’s not it. I need a favor.”
“Done.”
“You don’t even know what it is yet.”
He gave her an easy smile. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Be careful, Levi Lambert. You never know what I might ask.”
“Bring it on.” His eyes filled with obvious male appreciation.
She was reminded of her bare legs. The look he slid her was so full of heat that she thought her panties might spontaneously burst into flames. Focus, Carly, focus.
“I want to put photos of Grace on my website. I took some cute ones today.” She took her phone out and showed them to him. Shots of Grace staring with delight at a tree as if she’d just discovered them. Smiling as she watched a child playing ball, staring wide-eyed at a woman walking her poodle down the street.
“You took her to the park. She loves it there.” Levi didn’t take the phone from her, but instead held her wrist and brought the phone up closer.
Her stupid wrist tingled as if it thought it might be about to have a good time. She cleared her throat. “I know. Just look at this one. I think she noticed a cloud for the first time.”
He grinned, still holding her wrist. “Nah, she saw one last week.”
“Right. So…is it okay if I put her photos up? She’s an adorable baby.”
“Fine with me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll never share her real name with my readers. And no one has any idea that the company is based in Fortune. My mother took great precautions to protect our privacy.”
“I trust you.” His big, rough hand slid from her wrist to her elbow, and the tingle traveled.
“Thank you.” She stared at his lips, willing him to kiss her. “The trust is…important.”
“Extremely.”
That talented hand now settled on her waist and pulled her closer. And somehow her hands were squeezing his biceps and she went up on the balls of her feet to get closer still. He kissed her long and deep, his hot, wet tongue insistent. It got wild and crazy as her hands fisted his shirt and his hands palmed her ass.
“Levi.” She broke off from the kiss, breathless. “We probably shouldn’t do this. It’s not…a good idea.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re right.”
Great. He agreed with her. “It’s stupid.”
“Yeah.” He tugged her in tighter and kissed her again. And again.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and moaned into his mouth.
And they continued to be crazy stupid for the next hour.
Author Bio:
Heatherly Bell drinks copious amounts of coffee, craves cupcakes, and occasionally wears real pants.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nomad by Matthew Mather is Book I of The New Earth Series.
This is one of those books that left me with tons of questions and what ifs.
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Goodreads
MY REVIEW
Action packed, thought-provoking, could this really happen novel that held my attention as the clocked ticked down.
“At most, we have a year, perhaps only months, until the anomaly reaches us.”
It’s the end of the world and I can’t imagine the fear and panic. All kinds of questions came to mind. Would I want to know, seeing as how there is nothing I could do? Would I want to be one of the last ones standing? How would I spend the last moments of my life? Who would I spend them with?
I quickly became involved with the characters, especially Jess. I love a strong, independent, kickass female, and she surely fits the bill. She is into extreme sports, served in Afghanistan, and left a leg there because of an IED. She may be a bit more than self-confident, maybe a bit reckless, but she does not have a death wish.There is nothing that will stop her from doing the right thing.
My first thought would be to let bygones be bygones, but would others think that? What about other countries? Would they want to take the last shot before the Earth ceases to exist?
A free for all, no holds barred human slaughter.
Matthew Mather did his research for Nomad. I don’t understand all the technical jargon, but he broke it down into easy to understand language. Well enough for me to me to be totally engrossed in the story, instead of thinking of it as a school subject.
The end of the world is coming and I felt it on every page, especially after watching the Solar Eclipse on 8.21.17. The danger and suspense just kept increasing, and it wasn’t just because of Nomad.
There is no ending. There are four books in the series, and I WANT THEM!
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Something massive is coming…
And it’s heading for Earth.
That’s what Dr. Ben Rollins, head of Harvard’s exoplanet research team, is told by NASA after being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. His first instinct is to call his daughter, Jessica, who’s vacationing in Italy with his wife. “Something’s coming,” he tells them. “A hundred times the mass of the sun. We can’t see it, don’t know what it is yet, but they’re calling it Nomad–and in just months, the Earth may be destroyed.”
But what is it? And how did they miss detecting it until now? In a frantic race against time, Dr. Rollins must unravel Nomad’s secrets. A mysterious clue surfaces in his old research papers from the end of the Cold War, more than thirty years earlier…
The world erupts into chaos as the end approaches–and Ben discovers that his wife and daughter are trapped in Europe. The key to humanity’s survival rests in the final answers Dr. Rollins pieces together, in the midst of his desperate scramble across continents to find his family before Nomad swallows the planet.
MORE ABOUT NOMAD
A story of family and redemption set amid a brand new category of cataclysm–all the more plausible and terrifying as the science behind it is vetted by a team of world-class astrophysicists from CERN, SETI, the Keck Observatory and more. It even has its own simulation video, included at the end of the book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Google+ / LinkedIn
Perfect Ten
Kelley R. Martin
Publication date: October 3rd 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
First comes marriage. Then comes love.
His band’s record went platinum ten times.
I’ve known him for nine hours.
Our wedding ceremony lasted eight minutes.
Last night I must’ve had seven shots.
When our nuptials are accidentally live-streamed, I wake up to six voicemails.
He gave me five toe-curling orgasms.
His tour lasts for another four weeks.
He says he can’t wait to turn us into a family of three.
He’s only in Vegas for two more days.
His name is Tennessee King, and I’m absolutely terrified he might be the one.This is a standalone novella with an HEA and no cheating. If you’re looking for a quick read with scorching heat and lots of heart, dive right in!
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Author Bio:
Kelley lives in Texas, but she swears it’s not all country music and cowboy boots… Okay, some of it is, but not all of it. She’s got an amazing husband, who continues to inspire her every day, even after twelve years and two ridiculously cute little girls.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Tethered (Intertwined series #2)
by Jenn Marie
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Release Daye: July 16th 2017
Summary:
A previous lifetime. A malevolent curse. A love they can’t live without. Will their past claim them once more? Elizabeth and Adam are about to find out …
Elizabeth and Adam survived the century old curse that nearly claimed the lives of their counterparts, Josephine and Braden, but at what cost?
As the veil between timelines continues to diminish, they yet again find themselves in a race against time to cheat death in the past in order to salvage their futures. But with the curse given form, everything is changing, leaving them vulnerable to new threats. No longer are the dangers of their former lifetime contained to the Jefferson Plantation—a land fraught with peril and where horror reigns every summer between July 20 and August 13.
Until now …
Having changed the past, history has rewritten itself, extending the last day of the haunting to August 31—their new expiration date. Without the aid of visions, though, Elizabeth and Adam must find a new way to uncover their past, leaving Adam to scour the plantation for clues, while Elizabeth learns how to access Josephine’s subconscious.
Meanwhile, the Callahans—a vengeful family intent on keeping Elizabeth and Adam apart—will stop at nothing to preserve their bloodline and keep the curse from destroying their family. Will their ruthless antics prove tragic once more?
Now more than ever, their love will be tested as Elizabeth and Adam contend with the forces of the curse and fight to save their counterparts in 1905.
Will they overcome the odds stacked against them? Or will the curse claim them for good?
Buy Links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / iBooks / B&N / Kobo
Intertwined (Intertwined series #1) on Goodreads
About the Author
Jenn Marie currently lives in sunny California with her wonderful husband and their runt kitty, Chloe. When she’s not writing Young Adult Fiction, she can be found reading, plotting or spending time with her crazy, lovable family. Current obsessions include the movie, Frozen, the New Girl series, Arcade Fire’s latest album, and avocados. Seriously, she can’t get enough of it! Writing, for her, is a passion that refuses to be under prioritized. No matter what’s going on in her life, whether good or bad, writing is always there to lift her spirits.
Author Links: Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram
Blog Tour Organized by:
1. I gathered my materials. I picked up a dozen glazed donuts, a bag of plastic vampire fangs, and a package of candy eyes. For fun, I got some edible glitter. I originally thought I might make sparkly vampire donuts with silver glitter, but decided to get green so that the completed creatures would remind me more of ghouls.