Monthly Archives: June 2020

Lots To Share for Aftermath of Secrets by Cate Beauman Release @CateBeauman

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Cate Beauman’s Aftermath Of Secrets Release Celebration!

  • AFTERMATH OF SECRETS
  • The Carter Island Trilogy, Book 2
  • RELEASE DATE:  June 4, 2020

MY REVIEW

Aftermath by Cate Beauman is Book II of the Charter Island series and picks up where book one left off, though it is Molly and Brad’s turn to be in the spotlight. I don’t know why Aftermath fell a little flat, unless it was because I was blown away by Secrets in the Glass and read it immediately after, and it didn’t grab me, like the first one. Could it be because I wasn’t as invested in the characters and their outcome, like I was with Callie and Nate?

One drunken night had ruined Molly and Brad’s lifelong friendship. Molly, Brad, and Molly’s brother, nate, had been like the Three Musketeers. They both missed it, though they didn’t know how to fix it. With romantic suspense a lot comes down to communication. Who would make the first move?

When the characters mentioned watching Friends reruns, I thought, isn’t Friends always on cable somewhere. LOL I watch them all the time. I love little touches like this that make it easy to relate to moments in the characters lives.

Molly is easy going, but she is a tomboy and not shy about saying what she thinks. I love Molly thoughts about fashion…sneakers, jeans and a sweat shirt. And makeup? What’s that? She is the opposite of Callie and I think that’s why they make such great friends. Sounds like someone I could be friends with too. They can fill in the blanks and help navigate some of their troubles, all while building a friendship.

Molly’s sister, Gwen, is the opposite when it comes to fashion. I love when she is dressing her for a New Year’s ball and she looks in the mirror, all glammed up, and says,”Holy crap.” I busted out laughing. Been there, done that.

Brad’s brother, Jordan, appeared, I thought his timing highly suspicious and Brad is leery.

I knew a shitstorm was brewing, it’s just, what kind of shit storm will it be.

I have read a lot of Cate Beauman’s books and love them. I’m not sure what happened with Aftermath. The beginning seemed a little choppy. I was already invested in the characters and wanted the best for Molly and Brad, but, for me, it never reached the level of Secrets in the Glass. I would recommend reading Secrets in the Glass first and feel Aftermath keeps Carter Island on the map.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Aftermath by Cate Beauman.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: 

When The Secrets Of The Past Threaten To Destroy The Future…

Boston’s Most Eligible Bachelor has it all: good looks, a great career, and plenty of wealth and prestige. But Bradley Sanderson’s charmed life quickly falls apart when scandal rocks his famous family. Arrests have been made; the media circus has begun, and Brad’s been tasked with the daunting chore of restoring the Sandersons’ good name. Moving back to Carter Island and picking up the pieces hasn’t been easy, especially when the one person he needs the most won’t give him the time of day.

Bakery owner and island resident Molly Carter is loyal to her core, but that doesn’t mean Brad’s homecoming hasn’t left her torn. Brad’s darkest days aren’t lost on Molly, but reaching out to her lifelong friend isn’t so simple when she’s forced to guard her heart. Everything changed when she woke up alone after their sexy summer night.

The complications keep coming when Brad’s long-lost brother shows up in town, bringing the remnants of his checkered past with him. Forgiveness and redemption are possible for all, until new secrets come to light that may have dire consequences.

*A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense

BUY LINKS

Reviews & Endorsements:

5 Stars! “I’m a big sucker for a good love story, especially one that has drama. Aftermath Of Secrets by Cate Beauman provided both in a beautiful way. I was swept in by the characters, their wants, and desires.”  -Shannon Winings, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

EXCERPT

“So, what now? The tree’s officially decorated. It’s just you, me, hot chocolate, and…a movie?”

“Scrabble,” Brad decided. His family wasn’t going to ruin one more moment of his night.

Molly’s left brow winged up again. “Scrabble?”

He nodded. “By the Christmas tree—something we’ve never done before. I didn’t get a chance to kick your ass after Thanksgiving dinner this year.”

She flashed him one of the grins that lit up her face and made his pulse race. Damn, she was spectacular. “I’ve kicked your ass the last two years in a row, which is odd because didn’t you go to Harvard?”

He laughed, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. “You’ve gotta come up with something else.”

“But it was Harvard, right? And Harvard Medical School after that?”

“Yeah, it was both of the Harvards.” He reached out, tugging gently on her hair. “Let’s do this, brat.”

She pulled the game out of the basket beneath the coffee table. “Oh, let’s indeed.”

They brought their mugs and plate of treats with them as they moved to lie on their stomachs across from one another and set up the game under the lights of the tree.

He selected his preliminary tile and grinned when he drew a letter A and Molly a G. “Looks like I go first.” He drew his seven tiles and let out a hoot as he studied his selection. “And here we go.” He laid out quit in the center of the board. “That looks like fourteen points.”

She glared as she pulled her tiles and looked at her pieces. “Beginner’s luck.”

He sent her a mischievous smile. “We’ll see.”

Molly beamed. “Got one.” She laid out an S, L, and T.

His brow shot up. “Slut?”

“And a double word score for eight points. Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not. First move, and I’m winning.”

“For now, but it’s early days, Ivy League. Early days.”

He laughed as she did. Christmas tree decorating, Scrabble, and plenty of smack talk with Molls. Her five nights of fun idea was turning out to be the ultimate gift.

ALSO PART OF THE CARTER ISLAND NOVELS SERIES

Secrets Hidden In The Glass (Carter Island, #1)
  • SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS
  • The Carter Island Novels, Book 1

MY REVIEW

Secrets Hidden in the Glass is a looooong book and I have a lot to say. Once I started, I only put it down to eat, use the facilities, and sleep. The characters quickly became my friends and I went on one hell of a ride, filled with danger and suspense. It has so many elements I love in a book, my page and a half of notes is going to have to be severely edited.

Callie desperately needed a vacation and felt the magical affects of the island her first day there. She was in desperate need of sleep and it found her as soon as she sat down. She awoke more refreshed than she had felt for months.

She had already met the sheriff and, like the island, she felt an immediate attraction when he poked his head out from under the sink he was fixing in the home she was renting. He felt the attraction too and, seeing he was her landlord and neighbor, felt he would have many opportunities to get to know her better.

Callie is an artist, working in stained glass, and fame has not been kind to her. She prefers spending her time working on her art to hobnobbing with those who want a piece of her. She built a very high wall to protect herself.

Nate slowly dries the mortar that holds the wall,allowing it to fall and the light, along with her emotions were coming out in a slow way, relaxing in the small moments of getting to know someone. She steps outside herself not knowing why, just that it felt right. Their romance is a slow build with many uncertainties and danger.

The island life was what she needed. The people are real, easy going and not overbearing, even though they know she is famous, though she has no idea they know and is surprised by it when she finds out. All this reminds me soooo much of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Callie is relaxed, happy, but knowing Cate Beauman this is foreplay for the danger lurking in the background. I keep waiting and waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. The slow, subtle buildup is spent getting to know everyone, including the dark memories that put a bullseye on Callie. It does get hot and heavy, but not in the ‘I like you, let’s do it” manner.

I am soooo curious how she came to be abandoned at four years old. She has all the issues that go along with it. That explains why she holds people at a distance.

...love and attachment meant fear and pain for Callie.

When Callie’s adopted mom told Nate that as a child she would get up in the night and sleep in front of the door so she would know if they tried to leave her, it broke my heart. It’s the little details that Cate Beauman adds to the story that allows me to SEE what is happening.

“It crossed my mind to knock him out a couple of times, but then I would have needed to arrest myself…” says Nate.

Be prepared for tears, laughter, passion, danger, and hours of nonstop reading, because Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman is the complete package. I am BLOWN AWAY.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The secrets of the past are always closer than we think…

Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.

Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best.

But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.

*A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense

Buy Links

Reviews and Endorsements:

2018 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner

Readers’ Favorite Five Star Book Designation

“Great character’s, fantastic plot, it is a book to sink into. You feel the magic of the island…” Amazon Verified Review

 “Even throughout the nail-biting scenes, and moments of terrible sadness, you feel the rise of love sneaking back into the picture.” Amazon Verified Review

  • Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
  • Goodreads Rating: 4.4/5

ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN

Cate Beauman is the multi-award-winning, international bestselling author of The Bodyguards of L.A. County series and the Carter Island Novels. She is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense and contemporary stories.

Cate’s novels have been named Readers’ Favorite Five Star books and have won the Booksellers’ Best Award, Maggie Award for Excellence, the Holt Medallion Award, two-time Aspen Gold Medal, two-time Readers’ Favorite International Gold Medal, three-time Readers’ Favorite International Silver Medal, and the Readers’ Crown Award.

Cate makes her home in New Hampshire with her family and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.

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MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

The Bodyguards of LA County Series (all the books can stand alone)

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My Two Months Free Kindle Unlimited Reads #kindleunlimited

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I signed up for the two month free of Kindle Unlimited. I binge read some series and wanted to share them with you. I didn’t review them, but you can see my Goodreads ratings or click on the cover to go to Amazon.

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Tackling The TBR – 6.14 – 6.20.20

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I got the idea and the motivation to start doing this post from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken. It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current events and I also started doing a post for Books From The Backlog to tidy up my shelf. I feel better about my out of control TBR and have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been hanging around for years. COME ON….JOIN IN.

Previous TBR Total: 2483

Currently Reading: 6

Some of these may look familiar and that’s because I had a 2 month free Kindle Unlimited and read and read and read those. This is the last week and then I will start knocking some of these off my list.

Books Added to TBR:

I have added some for giveaways, but they will be deleted, so I only count them for the totals and books removed when I remove them. You won’t see them here.

I could not resist the cover for this romantic comedy.

Attracting Aubrey: Gone Wild by [Avery Flynn]

Books Removed from TBR: 0

Books DNF-ed: 0

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 2476

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway – Taste My Wrath by Debbie Cassidy @authordcassidy @XpressoTours

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Taste My Wrath
Debbie Cassidy
(The Iron Fae #1)
Publication date: June 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

A dead earth, a handful of survivors, and a game that could wipe out humanity.

I was one of the few humans to be saved by the shining ones. Powerful beings who came from the stars just in time to stop the annihilation of mankind.

But they’ve been here before.

Earth was once their home and humanity has another name for them. Fae.

Now we live in iron cities paying for haven as workers and conscripted warriors.

We owe them after all.

Until they ask too much.

The Regency Tournament is about to begin. A test of prowess for the shining ones to determine which House will rule their people for the next century.

And we humans? We’re the prey.

But I didn’t survive earths almost destruction to be hunted like a beast.

If I’m going to go down, then I’ll be taking these pointy eared wankers with me.

And I have an advantage. A shadow companion—protective but tough. My mentor has trained me in the art of survival. With his smooth dulcet tones in my head, and his shadowy form at my back, I’ll no longer be prey.

And when I hunt the shining ones, they won’t even see me coming.

An Urban Fantasy Romance adventure. Experience the magic of the Fae set against a Post-Apocalyptic back drop in a dystopian world.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Bio:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Here Today, Gone Tomorrow – Day 4 by Nick Clausen @NickClausen9

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I received an email from Nick’s Reader’s Club with all those beautiful covers lined up in a row. Do you wonder who’s watching you now? LOL

Also, Dead Meat: Day 1 is free, while Nick has heavily discounted Day 2 And Day 3, so now is the time to jump in. You can also read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading.

Dead Meat: Day 4 (Dead Meat, #4)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Dead Meat series by Nick Clausen covers the apocalyptic/dystopian world he has created on a day by day basis. I highly recommend reading the series in order as each book picks up where the previous book left off.

It is so easy to visualize and relate to the storyline because we are going through it now, sans the zombies. I began reading this before Covid-19, but the characters careless actions read too much like real people’s disregard for others in spreading the disease. All it take is one person to break the rules, one moment of carelessness, others thinking, oh, it will be alright. It only takes one person to set off an explosion.

Day 4 is longer than the other books. It seems to grow as I meet new characters and keep up with the old ones.

I could not stop reading this action packed, heart in my throat, nonstop suspense with tension that left be a bit sore from my muscles being clenched so tight.

OMG…you better be prepared to lose some of your friends along the way, because Nick Clausen doesn’t hesitate to kill them off in gruesome, tragic, heartbreaking fashion.

AND…he ends with my emotions reeling as I mourn, yet I have hope.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat: Day 4 by Nick Clausen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

The dead have awakened.
Driven by insatiable hunger.
In eternal search of fresh meat.
The infection spreads like the plague.
Nothing stands between the undead and humanity.
Is it too late to save the world from disaster?

The end of the world one day at a time

 In this new apocalyptic zombie series from the author of They Come at Night and Human Flesh, we follow events day for day as the world slowly decends into mayhem and the zombies take over. Don’t miss the thrilling ride!

For fans of The Walking Dead and The Orphan Books.

Day 4 of the zombie apocalypse

 The story picks up from Day 3. Dorte, a young doctor, desperately tries to find a cure for her sister, who got scratched by one of the infected. It’s a race against time, and it’s only the beginning of another day in hell.

By Day 4, the infection begins to spread across nation borders, and it looks like none of the governments will be able to contain it. Is it too late to save the world?

  • ★★★★★ “Definitely the best day yet!”
  • ★★★★★ “This series just gets more and more exciting”
  • ★★★★★ “had me hooked from the first page”

EXCERPT

Henrik has turned away to go back inside the bedroom and pack a fresh set of clothes, when Kirsten screams.

He spins around and sees Finn come lunging out from Jennie’s old room, throwing himself at Kirsten, who backs away into the wall in a vain attempt to get out of reach. But it’s too late, and Finn bites down hard on her neck.

Kirsten’s scream turns even higher and more piercing.

Oh, Jesus Christ!

Henrik runs down the hallway and grabs Kirsten’s flailing arm. He begins tugging hard to get her away from Finn, but Finn acts like a predator who just caught his breakfast and isn’t intent at all on letting it go. He bears down harder with his teeth, growling and blowing bubbles in the blood from Kirsten’s throat. He also reaches up and grabs her by the grey hair, yanking her head sideways.

Kirsten screams again, very high-pitched, but a little weaker than before, and for an awful moment, she looks like a piece of toy torn between two big kids, as Henrik pulls her one way, while Finn pulls her the other.

“Let go of her!” Henrik shouts, and then, without thinking, he lets go of Kirsten with one hand in order to throw a punch at Finn. His knuckles connect with the old guy’s temple, and his jaw pops open for a moment, as he blinks his dead eyes and staggers backwards, loosening his grip on Kirsten’s hair and allowing Henrik to pull her free. She almost collapses into his arms, and Henrik half drags, half lifts her backwards down the hallway, away from Finn.

But the neighbor quickly regains his bearings and comes waddling after them, arms stretched out, the lower part of his face smothered in blood …

ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN

Born 1988 in North Jutland, where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a much more powerful pull on me.

Nick Clausen

I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book, Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at 14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should be an author.

That day I made a promise to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the publisher and came out a year later.

I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

MY NICK CLAUSEN REVIEWS

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Giveaway – Revelations by Hep Aldridge @AldridgeHep @SDSXXTours

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Revelations: Sunken Treasure, Lost Worlds
The Risky Business Chronicles Book 2
by Hep Aldridge
Genre: Action, Adventure
The Saga continues…
As the mystery deepens from the peaks of the Andes to the ocean floor off Florida’s Space Coast, Colten X. Burnett, and the Risky Business team are confronted by new perils and discoveries in their extraordinary quest for both treasures and what might be explosive, historical findings.
New friends and new adversaries make their quest a suspense-filled thrill ride.
Will they find the elusive treasure galleon, is the legendary golden library in Ecuador real?
REVELATIONS – Volume 2 of the Risky Business Chronicles will engulf you as a virtual participant in this amazing adventure.
It is the second book in Hep Aldridge’s action and adventure series about Dr. Colten X.
Book Trailer
Sunken Treasure, Lost Worlds
The Risky Business Chronicles Book 1
His knowledge can make them all rich… or get them killed.
From the depths of the Atlantic off Cape Canaveral Florida, searching for sunken Spanish treasure, to the Andes mountains of Ecuador chasing the legend of a lost golden library, Dr. Colten X. Burnett and the Risky Business team are on a quixotic adventure.
While trying to make an honest, well sort of honest living, searching for remnants of the lost 1715 fleet, Risky Business Ltd. becomes entangled in a mystery that covers two continents and may rewrite history.
The lure of uncovering a lost civilization, as well as the secrets it holds, motivates the team on their dangerous journey into a cosmological unknown.
-Sunken Treasure Lost Worlds is the first book in Hep Aldridge’s action and adventure series about Dr. Colten X. Burnett and the Risky Business team.
Book Trailer
Hep Aldridge is a certified scuba diver, cave diver and amateur archaeologist whose main area of interest is Pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas.
He has led or been part of archaeological expeditions to Mexico and Honduras, making discoveries that have been reported in National Geographic Magazine.
Hep’s related interest in space, and space exploration and “things unknown” was fueled by his father who worked for NASA.
While living in New Mexico, he began to question the many strange and unexplained things he saw in the night sky in the mid 60’s, and also developed an interest in lost treasure that has stayed with him his whole life.
The combination of these diverse interests led to the genesis of the Risky Business Chronicles, Book One, his first novel of a three-part series.
Hep is an Air Force veteran and resides on Florida’s Space Coast
$50 Amazon
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