Monthly Archives: January 2022

We’re Married? Finding You by Amanda Siegrist @amanda_siegrist

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Finding You by Amanda Siegrist will be released tomorrow, but you can preorder it for $3.99 and have it automatically delivered to your ereader.

Finding You (McCord Family, #5)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Ahhhh. The McCord men. What can I say. I have only met a couple of them, but hubba hubba. Now, it’s time for the shy guy, Gabe McCord to set the story on fire…and he does it very well. 🙂

Gabe is a lawyer and a shy guy (is there such a thing?), who loves triple berry pie. Speaking of pie, he is dropping one off for his brother at the fire station when he, literally, runs into her. His wife…Now that’s a story you will want to hear.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas doesn’t apply. One drunken night…and what a night it was…and they were married. She had run as fast as she could from the bed she woke up in. He had looked for her, finally giving up after nine months. Now, her she is. Right in front of him. And she doesn’t know that they were married. That doesn’t mean she wants it annulled. It would be convenient if they played it out for a while to get her dad off her back. He’s always butting in where she doesn’t want him, but this time it was a good thing.

Olivia had went from firefighting, which her father hated, to being an arson investigator, which is also hates. Safer, maybe, but she is still doing something she loves. I think he would love to have her married, in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. But, that is never going to happen.

Gabe, in his own words: “Good old Gabe the Shy Goose got so drunk in Vegas he doesn’t remember getting married. So crazy it’s hilarious.” Gabe is the baby of the family and is the brunt of their jokes. Little do they know how much it hurts him.

Olivia dates alpha males, but Gabe is no alpha, unless…

The characters steal the show in Finding You by Amanda Siegrist. Sure, we have some mystery and some danger, but I smiled, chuckled, and laughed my way through it.

With lines like: “…You up for an adventure? This could be fun.” And it is.

Amanda Siegrist writes sweet romance with a dash of danger.The characters are a definite two thumbs up and I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the family.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Finding You by Amanda Siegrist.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. One wild mishap could be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Being shy makes it hard for Gabe McCord to talk to women, but throw in a fun, wild night of drinking and it’s not so hard. Until he learns he didn’t just wake up next to a gorgeous woman—he married her. Nine months later and he’s still trying to find her…when she accidentally finds him.

Olivia Brenson is the new arson investigator in town trying to find the person responsible for multiple fires, the latest one which almost took a life. When she learns they’re married—because neither remembered their nuptials—Gabe finds himself on another fun adventure. She wants to stay married for a short time to keep her overprotective, demanding father off her back. He doesn’t protest as it gives him a chance to prove he isn’t always the shy guy. But if he’s not careful, he might lose more than just his reserved tendencies. He’ll lose his heart along the way. Because he’s finding Olivia is the woman he never knew he needed in his life.

The entire McCord Family Novel series: Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.
Protecting You (Book 1): Zane & Ava
Trust in Love (Book 2): Austin & Sophie
Deserving You (Book 3): Emmett & Deja
Always Kind of Love (Book 4): Ethan & Penelope
Finding You (Book 5): Gabe & Olivia

ABOUT AMANDA SIEGRIST

Amanda Siegrist

Love! Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship, and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a happy camper:)

I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.

Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY AMANDA SIEGRIST REVIEWS

  • 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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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – The Raven and the Pig by Lou Kemp @LouKempBooks @GoddessFish

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I am happy to have Lou Kemp here on fundinmental, sharing his thoughts. Take it away Lou.

Are my characters extensions of me?

Yes, to an extent. 

The immortal magician, Jonas Celwyn, is world-weary.  For hundreds of years, he has been traveling from bloody wars to royal courts full of intrigue, on to famines and then to wild forests with fantastic animals and birds.  What he sees becomes part of his repertoire of magic.  For years he has wandered alone except for occasional acquaintances who do not try to kill him or trick him.  He gives an example in book 1, Music Shall Untune the Sky, when he describes the mental state of the poet John Dryden, someone he socialized with.  Celwyn spends most his time keeping Dryden from killing himself. His other activities took second place to help Dryden.

When Celwyn meets Professor Xiau Kang, the fussy automat, they are on the ship the Zelda.  He is supposed to deliver him to Talos, but he and Kang become friends, and it is Talos who dies.  Celwyn has a history of helping those he meets, and when provoked, killing those he believes deserve to die.  Kang is worried that those tendencies, because they are done with fanfare and as “artful” as the magician is fond of saying, the result gives them more notoriety than they need.  To keep Kang from nagging him, Celwyn tries to be less noteworthy.  As the first few books of the series evolve, Celwyn does also to a point.  But he can’t control everything that occurs, and he reacts to.

A strict sense of morality, of backing up those he cares about are the traits of Celwyn that are easy to identify with.  He has flaws, and usually doesn’t care about them unless Kang nags him.  When an event destroys Kang’s world in book 4, Celwyn feels it as keenly as the automat.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lou. It was wonderful having you visit.

The Raven and the Pig by Lou Kemp

GENRE:   Magical realism

BLURB

Synopsis of The Raven and the Pig   Book 2

As the music dies, the magician Celwyn is mortally wounded.  His darker, immortal brother Pelaez brings him back, barely, with his magic. The party of protagonists travel on the Nautilus to the Cape Verde Islands and the healer of immortals.  During the journey, Professor Kang and Bartholomew can not tell if Pelaez will keep his brother alive.  Captain Nemo is ready to evict Pelaez forcibly, and keeping Celwyn alive is the only thing that restrains him.

After Celwyn is saved, the healer requests payment for his services. This sends the adventurers to the catacombs in Capuchin where their experience is one they will not forget. Before it is over, several of the protagonists question why it seems everyone from warlocks and vampires to witches, seem to be congregating in their world. Before it is over, some of them become surprising allies, and a few of their allies turn against them.

In part II, work on the new flying machine begins in earnest bringing attention from the Mafioso and a cherub-like warlock called Duncan.  After a final battle with Duncan, the flying machine is destroyed and everyone at their compound is murdered by one of their own. 

EXCERPT

Prelude

The rolling hills near Odessa, north of Constantinople   1867

With each step he took, Professor Xiau Kang sensed the intensity, and importance of what he would find.  Above all, he felt the weight of his sadness.  He had done his best to ignore that there was no guarantee Captain Nemo had located Thales, if Nemo failed to find him, Jonas Celwyn would be dead within a matter of days, perhaps hours. 

A long time ago, on the Zelda, the magician had doubted a mechanical man could feel.  Kang paused, swaying on his feet as he fought to regain his control; at this moment, the automat knew real despair, a wrenching grief that they would lose Jonas.  He swallowed hard and walked faster, climbing to the top of the berm.

There she was!  The long black submarine lay still in the water.  A single sailor stood on patrol, and another perched in the cage on top with a spyglass.

Kang called, “I’ll get Mr. Celwyn.  Please let the Captain know we’re here.”

Conductor Smith joined him as they ran back to the coach.  The others had seen them and began unloading the magician onto the stretcher that Kang had fashioned for this moment.  He skidded to a stop and grabbed Celwyn’s hand.     

“The Nautilus is here. It isn’t far.”

In the distance, a low hum reached them; the sound sputtered and grew stronger.

The magician’s eyes opened slowly, like a thread from his memory raised his lids, impelling him to look.  Everyone, including Jonas, gazed upward, as if they had already known what was to come.

The noise grew louder, and then a bright yellow flying machine crested the low hills and headed toward the estuary.

“Yes!” Kang shouted, raising his fist in triumph.

The plane swerved to the north, banked, and then flew toward them again in a wide arc.

“Oh, my God, it’s Bartholomew,” Elizabeth exclaimed.

Bartholomew wore a broad smile and his scarf fluttered in the breeze as he sailed over them.  He waved.  As he banked again, the engine revved and he turned, descending for another pass.  Celwyn raised himself onto an elbow to wave back.

“Hurry,” Kang said.  “Bartholomew is going to land.  We have to get Jonas onto the ship.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Early work was horror and suspense, later work morphed into a combination of magical realism, mystery and adventure painted with a horrific element as needed.

I’m one of those writers who doesn’t plan ahead, no outlines, no clue, and I sometimes write myself into a corner. Atmospheric music in the background helps. Black by Pearl Jam especially.

More information is available at LouKemp.com. I’d love to hear from you and what you think of Celwyn, Bartholomew, and Professor Xiau Kang.

Milestones:

2009 The anthology story Sherlock’s Opera appeared in Seattle Noir, edited by Curt Colbert, Akashic Books. Available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble online. Booklist published a favorable review of my contribution to the anthology.

2010 My story, In Memory of the Sibylline, was accepted into the best-selling MWA anthology Crimes by Moonlight, edited by Charlaine Harris. The immortal magician Celwyn makes his first appearance in print.

2018 The story, The Violins Played before Junstan is published in the MWA anthology Odd Partners, edited by Anne Perry. The Celwyn series begins.

Present The full length prequel, The Violins Played before Junstan, to the Celwyn book series is published on Kindle. The companion book, Farm Hall is also published where Pelaez, another immortal magician and Celwyn’s brother, makes his first appearance. The remaining books in the series: Music Shall Untune the Sky, The Raven and the Pig, The Pirate Danced and the Automat Died, will be available beginning in August 2021.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Sherry’s Shelves – 1.23 – 1.29.22 #stackingtheshelves #thesundaypost #thesundaysalon

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Sunday Post

Hi Everyone. The weather this week is the coldest we have had this winter. I do not miss what others are going through, shoveling snow, scraping windshields, and wearing all those clothes. I am originally from Michigan and lived in New York for ten years, so I know what it is like. That is why I wanted to move away from it. LOL

Mr Wonderful and I shoveling snow in Rochester, New York

I think the birds are confused with our warm weather. I went out to mess with the pool and scared a yard full of robins up into the trees. I managed to get one good photo through the window, before we tried to go out, quietly sit on the patio and wait for them to come down from the trees. No such luck. They were very skittish.

Robins in January 2022
Bohemian Waxwings with Robins

Stay safe and wear a mask..

LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

COMING UP ON fundinmental

  • Sherry’s Shelves
  • Giveaway – The Raven and the Pig by Lou Kemp
  • Review – Finding You by Amanda Siegrist
  • Music Monday
  • Giveaway -L’Origine by Lilianne MIlgrom
  • Legion Novellas by Ashley Fontainne
  • Giveaway – Audrey by Sean Paul Thomas
  • Giveaway & Review – Bentley’s Best Birthday Ever by Claire Eckard
  • Giveaway – The Last Keepr by J V Hilliard
  • Books From The Backlog
  • Review – Pelagia by Steve Holloway
  • Giveaway – Ghost Agents by Nita DeBorde
  • Giveaway – Undying Love by Rachel Ducas
  • Tackling The TBR
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Tackling The TBR – 1.22 – 1.28.22 #tacklingthe tbr

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I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR 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, from Carole’s Random Life in Books, to tidy up my shelves. 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 Total: 2175

A lot of the books I read this week were not on my TBR, but taken in for Review and some won. I read them so quickly they were never added.

Currently Reading

Below you will see a makeshift cover for The Helheim Princess. Due to publishing issues, Tiana and the publisher have taken this time to make a fabulous cover and retitle the book, The Valkyrie’s Daughter. I think the cover is fabulous and the change of title was a good thing. If anyone preorder it, this will not affect delivery of the book

Books Read

Books Added

Books DNF-ed: 0

Books Deleted: 0

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 2177

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Countdown To Death – 14 Days To Die by A B Whelan @AuthorABWhelan

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The title for 14 Days To Die by A B Whelan made me very curious about the book. I have read some of her work and the latest, No One Can Hear You Scream blew me away, so when she offered me a couple of books that I hadn’t read, I jumped all over it.

14 Days to Die

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Sarah Johnson was like the three monkeys – hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

How long can someone live like that? How long before they say, enough is enough. How far will someone go for their own desires? Does anyone know what really goes on in someone’s mind…even when standing face to face, eye to eye?

Uh oh, he’s a Gemini, a two faced manipulator. I’m a Gemini too, but I feel a kinship with her, not him. She blogs, like us. She doesn’t make a lot of money. It is a labor of love.

Do we all have the capacity to kill buried in our snake brain?

I flip from humor to outrage, from smiles and laughs to spitting fire. My blood was boiling throughout the entire book. It didn’t matter if I had any idea where we were going or how it would end. I’ll find out when I get there.

I can relate to her frustration and see how she got ‘there’. Sooner or later, we make a decision, or it is made for us. I laugh with her, instead of pitying her.

Tension, tension, tension…

I challenge you to figure this you.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of 14 Days To Die by A B Whelan.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

To what extent would you go to avenge your husband’s infidelity?

Stay-at-home mom Sarah Johnson has the perfect family—a handsome, hardworking husband and two healthy and beautiful children. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself for years. After the tragedies in her youth, Sarah deemed living a lie easier than dwelling on the past and facing her everyday failures. To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do. She wouldn’t jeopardize her comfortable but dull life for anything.

But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her—making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.

So the game of life or death begins. Secrets are unveiled. Emotions are unleashed. Actions are taken.

Will there be a winner in this dangerous game when no one can escape the twist of fate?

ABOUT A B WHELAN

New release: No One Can Hear You Scream is a gripping, atmospheric psychological thriller about obsession, survival, and family bonds, releasing on October 20th.

A.B. Whelan

Whelan is an Amazon bestselling author of domestic psychological thrillers.

She currently resides in California with her husband and two children. When she isn’t writing, editing, marketing, or researching her next book, you can find her walking her two rescue dogs, socializing online, coaching soccer, or doing another DIY project with her husband.

Find me on:
* Facebook (AuthorABWhelan)
* Instagram (authorabwhelan)
* Goodreads (A.B. Whelan)
* Twitter (AuthorABWhelan)
* Bookbub: A.B. Whelan

MY A B WHELAN REVIEW

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Giveaway – Gideon’s Grandchildren by Bill Jaquette @iReadBookTours

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Join us for this tour from Jan 10 to Jan 28, 2022!

Book Details:
Book Title:  Gideon’s Grandchildren by Bill Jaquette
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+ ),  228 pages
Genre: Legal, Criminal Law, and General Fiction
Publisher:  ARJ Publishing
Release date:  November, 2021
Tour dates: Jan 10 to Jan 28, 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. References to sex and violence (thought not explicit), and a few “f” words
 

Book Description:

Steve Cole is a young public defense attorney with a long list of clients: Among them is Jeff Harris, who is facing a life sentence under a law that Steve believes is cruel and unfair. When Harris is presented with a plea bargain that would spare him a life sentence, Steve urges his client to accept. Steve is shocked when Harris turns down the plea bargain in favor of going to trial. Steve quickly finds himself in the most difficult case of his career, in addition to all his other clients. Nevertheless, Steve grows to respect Harris and the decision he made, compelling him to work tirelessly for a not-guilty verdict for Harris.

Throughout the novel, author Bill Jaquette weaves his own thirty-plus years’ experience in public defense and provides readers with an intimate look at the day-to-day lives and struggles of public defense attorneys. The result is a compassionate portrayal of some of the most critical figures in the American courts, their clients, and the arduous and complicated role of maintaining justice.

Buy the Book:
Amazon
B&N ~ Book Depository

Meet the Author:

Bill Jaquette practiced law for over forty years. During that time, he served as a deputy prosecuting attorney and was also in private practice. A substantial part of his career, however, was as a public defender, including thirty years with the Snohomish County Public Defender Association, of which he was also director. In addition to his JD from the University of Washington, Bill holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Missouri and, prior to his career in law, served as a tenured member of the philosophy faculty at Southwest Missouri State University.

Gideon’s Grandchildren is his first novel.

connect with the author: website
 
Tour Schedule:

Jan 10 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 11 – Kam’s Place – book spotlight
Jan 11 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 17 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 18 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 19 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 20 – Celticlady ‘s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 – Books are a Blessing  – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 24 – Splashes of Joy  – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 24 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Jan 25 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 26 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – book spotlight
Jan 26 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 27 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 28 – Mysweetenedlifebychix – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 28 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
 
Enter the Giveaway: 

GIDEON’S GRANDCHILDREN Spotlight Book Tour Giveaway


 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

New Release – Little Dolls by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

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Jane, Jane, Jane…you write so fast I can hardly keep up. I love the cover for Little Dolls. When I saw it, I had to put aside the other book of yours I was going to read, Saving Charlie and delve into this one. How about you, readers? Do covers call out to you?

Little Dolls (Candella Sisters' Heroes #1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Usually it is the cover of a book that first catches me eye. Even though I love the cover for Little Dolls by Jane Blythe, it was the title that caught my attention first. Having read a lot of books by Jane, and knowing her penchant for thrills, I am bracing myself.

She pushed the pedal to the metal as the flashing lights glared behind her. Jane Blythe knows how to set the hook early, and I love that! And that is how Detective Jonathon Dawson meets Clara Candella. The immediate attraction leads Johnathon down a path that he could never have anticipated. With Jane Blythe’s writing, nothing is at it seems, so beware.

We have triplets, of a sort…Naomi, Clara and Agape. Even though they all have the same father and they have different mothers, they can still pass for triplets.

Little Dolls is a perfect title…each child taken was found with a doll…and another young child. What is the meaning? Why pairs? Why blond, with blue eyes (mostly). Why has it been so long between the kills of the past and now?

Clara had been six years old when she had been taken by the Doll Killers. Her and the boy she was trapped with had managed to escape. Her mind had blocked her memories, but now she feels she has to restore them to save who she can and put the people away once and for all.

The circumstances push Clara and John together. All the events happen over a short period of time, so I can overlook the instant attraction. After all, romantic suspense has to have romance to go with the thrills and chills that Jane Blythe creates, and the horrible situations she puts her characters in, fighting for their lives…or someone else’s.

Little Dolls by Jane Blythe kept me wondering…what the heck is going on…and who is doing it. Sure, I think he is involved…sure, I think ? is involved, but how does it all fit together? Jane never fails to give me hours of thrilling reading pleasure.

Little Dolls is Jane Blythe’s newest series, and Clara’s story. I can see where the series is going, each sister will get her chance to tell their story. I love that Jane ties up each story for her books, sometimes giving a little tease to make you want to read the next one. The characters make recurring appearances, so we don’t lose track of what they are up to now, getting to know them better through others stories.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Little Dolls by Jane Blythe.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

He’s trying to prove her friend is guilty of murder.

When Clara Candella is carjacked it brings the past she thought was firmly behind her crashing into her present. Now the sexy detective who saved her life is trying to prove that her childhood friend is guilty of the same horrendous crimes they both survived. Can she set the fact that they’re on opposite sides of this investigation aside and allow the attraction simmering between them to grow into something more?

A car chase leads Detective Jonathon Dawson to a woman he instantly feels a connection to, unfortunately, she’s hellbent on proving that her friend is innocent, even though he knows differently. Despite her being involved in his case he asks her out, only to be turned down flat. He knows there’s something between him but winning Clara’s affections while simultaneously searching for proof of her friend’s guilt isn’t going to be easy.

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Jane has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series, Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.

When she’s not writing Jane loves to read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies. She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears. She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

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

Giveaway – Flower Girl by Merida Johns @MLJohnsAuthor @GoddessFish

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I am happy to welcome you to the Flower Girl A Novel by Merida Johns tour. What do you think of this colorful, fabulous cover? What do you seen hidden amongst the flowers?

Flower Girl by Merida Johns

GENRE: Women’s Fiction, Family Life Fiction, Women’s Domestic Life Fiction, Psychological Fiction

BLURB

Everyone wants to believe they can hold on to their anchor, the light of their North Star, and live their truth . . . Suzanna Jordan did too until she fell for a man with a movie-star presence and a dark alter ego. Losing hope of salvaging her life and gaining her freedom, an unlikely source serves up a platter of just desserts that even Suzanna’s treacherous abuser might not evade.

EXCERPT

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1984

It’s five o’clock in the morning. A waterfall of worries washes over me, but one remains, one I cannot ignore, one that means my life or death—do I have the courage to stop this nightmare?

I hear muffled voices and hasty footsteps fading away in the distance. My crisis, already old news to them, cataloged on a forgotten document. They have abandoned me and left me alone with my fear.

Rolling to my side, my legs dangle off the bed, and gravity pulls my five-foot-five, slender body toward the floor. My feet rebel. They scream and cramp in pain as they hit the cold cement. My insides shake, and my body wobbles. My eyes blur, and my hands reach out to find the bed. I steady myself and count under my breath, “One, two, three . . .” The agonizing muscle spasms in my feet start to unwind.

 My world plays in slow motion. My eyes drift across the brackish-beige walls, swamp-green curtain, stainless steel instruments, and electronic gadgets—my stomach knots, my heart falls, my mouth goes dry. Helplessness hits me like an animal in a snare.

I spot my possessions, swathed in clear plastic, in the chair’s seat in the corner of the room. I hobble over and open the bag and poke through it—a Victoria’s Secret midnight-blue lace bra, an OSU red T-shirt, a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt denim pants, a Coach purse, and white Reeboks. I loosen the ties of the rumpled steel-gray gown; it slips off and falls to the floor. Dressing in fancy lingerie is absurd, so I toss it on the chair and throw on the shirt and jeans.

I look down at my sneakers and stop. In my mind, I see my husband’s squinting eyes and hear his haunting disapproval. Quit wiggling your feet over the counters of your damn shoes, Suzanna. You’ll ruin them! I shake my head, clench my jaw, and disobey.

I have no strength to bend over and tie the shoelaces. Jonathan would have a nasty comment about this, too. I ignore him. My eyes close in victory. “Cherish every step. Each is a grand slam toward deliverance.”

My fingers run through my disheveled hair, soaked with sweat—my muscles loosen, my brain fog lifts, and the ache behind my forehead fades.

I pull back the curtain circling the bed and grimace—the overhead lights jar me. I pump myself up—One, two, three, go. I take off.

I shuffle through the corridor between the beds bordering the room and reach the doorway to the waiting area. If people are here, I do not notice them. My eyes fix on the escape at the end of the room—the pulsating red exit sign. The floor-to-ceiling doors open, allowing my aching body to limp toward daybreak. The heavy morning breeze hits my face, and the sickening, sterile scent covering me blows away. I clutch my heart and silently sob, Thank God I’m alive.

But the joy vaporizes into the humid air. The war has only begun. Clutching for courage, I console myself. You’ve gotten this far. You can make it! You can live your truth.

I look up above the horizon, and I see it! There’s my North Star, its five points shimmering in the dawn and guiding me toward my purpose—But before I can help others be their best, I must help myself be my best.

Outside the sterile walls of a hospital emergency room, I hold my own. I put a stake in the ground. I swear that the fight to flee my abuser’s snare, save my life, and follow the guidance of my North Star is worth it.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Merida Johns writes about the human experience—that often is messy—and how ordinary people tackle challenges, live through sorrow and betrayal, struggle with doubt, but despite this, gather the strength to act on their aspirations and achieve flourishing lives.

“My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches when I asked, ‘What would it be like to help people achieve a flourishing life through storytelling instead of another self-help book?’

After that phone call, I got started answering that question. Almost three years later, the result was my debut novel Blackhorse Road, a heartfelt story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness that was published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press. Now, I’m thrilled about the upcoming release Flower Girl—a story of a woman who must make sweeping changes in her life to live her truth.

Before writing fiction, I was a professor and author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on helping women break the glass ceiling and fulfill their leadership and economic potential.

My husband and I reside in the beautiful Midwest countryside. This is where I find the serenity and space for bringing to life the stories about everyday people who face and overcome extraordinary challenges by finding and following their North Star.

  • Webist: https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com
  • Twitter:  @MLJohnsAuthor
  • FB:  https://facebook.com/MeridaJohnsAuthor
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/meridajohns
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New Release – The Secretary by Britney King @britneyking_

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Britney King writes some amazing stories and I want to thank her and Hot Banana Press for the chance to read The Secretary. Does the cover draw you in?

The Secretary

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read numerous books by Britney King and have always enjoyed them. The Secretary is not one of my favorites, though it does have the creep factor going on.

The boss/secretary affair scenario plays out with a perverted, destructive twist. The slow build carries a lingering sense of evil, because I know anything Britney King writes has a twist that will leave me cringing and uncomfortable, thinking WTH.

Britney King’s writing makes me wonder where her ideas come from, and though this was not one of my favorites, I enjoyed the book and she manages to put a twist at the end that makes me think The Stepford Wives have nothing on The Secretary. I look forward to what she comes up with next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Secretary by Britney King.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes a new mind-bending thriller about a young woman whose life takes a wicked turn when she lands her dream job.

The job comes with a lot of perks. A mysterious new boss is one of them. His deep pockets don’t hurt.

In her first week, Gillian finds a note on her desk with two boxes and a question: Will you have dinner with me?

Check yes or no.

It was easily the best night of her whole young life. 


The second note arrived looking very much the same, only different.

Do you have what it takes to be in my world?

Gillian has been asked to handle a lot of tasks in her work.


But covering up a murder might be the strangest one yet.

Check yes or no. 


She can check yes and face prison time. Hypothetically.


No, and she finds out why the job was vacant in the first place.

Tautly paced, The Secretary is an unnerving and electrifying psychological thriller about illusion, passion, and the dangerous places ambition can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page

MEET BRITNEY KING

Britney King

Hello. I’m Britney. 

I live in Austin, Texas with my husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When I’m not wrangling the things mentioned above, I write psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

Currently, I’m writing three series and several standalone novels.

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. Classics. 🙂

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. If you’d like to connect, shoot me an email. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and occasionally on Twitter.

Connect with Britney King:

Buy Links: Universal / Amazon / Apple / B&N / Kobo

MY BRITNEY KING REVIEWS

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

Giveaway – The Prisoner of Paradise by Rob Samborn @RobSamborn @partnersincr1me

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The Prisoner of Paradise by Rob Samborn Banner

The Prisoner of Paradise

by Rob Samborn

January 24 – February 18, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The Prisoner of Paradise by Rob Samborn

The world’s largest oil painting. A 400-year-old murder. A disembodied whisper: “Amore mio.” My love.

Nick and Julia O’Connor’s dream trip to Venice collapses when a haunting voice reaches out to Nick from Tintoretto’s Paradise, a monumental depiction of Heaven. Convinced his delusions are the result of a concussion, Julia insists her husband see a doctor, though Nick is adamant the voice was real.

Blacking out in the museum, Nick flashes back to a life as a 16th century Venetian peasant swordsman. He recalls precisely who the voice belongs to: Isabella Scalfini, a married aristocrat he was tasked to seduce but with whom he instead found true love. A love stolen from them hundreds of years prior.

She implores Nick to liberate her from a powerful order of religious vigilantes who judge and sentence souls to the canvas for eternity. Releasing Isabella also means unleashing thousands of other imprisoned souls, all of which the order claims are evil.

As infatuation with a possible hallucination clouds his commitment to a present-day wife, Nick’s past self takes over. Wracked with guilt, he can no longer allow Isabella to remain tormented, despite the consequences. He must right an age-old wrong – destroy the painting and free his soul mate. But the order will eradicate anyone who threatens their ethereal prison and their control over Venice.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: TouchPoint Press
Publication Date: November 30th 2021
Number of Pages: 333
ISBN: 1952816890 (ISBN-13: 9781952816895)
Series: The Paradise Series, #1
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

The flood of questions never left Nick’s lips. Large hands wrenched him up by his armpits.

A hushed voice spoke in his ear. “Come with us. Quietly.”

The grip tightened.

Nick twisted his head to his sides. Bernardo led him away, staring straight ahead. Another security guard in a navy-blue suit flanked him. The man was about Nick’s age, with a close-cropped beard and light brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail—and considerably heftier than Bernardo.

“Dante,” said Bernardo to the guard, “please notify—”

Nick whipped his arms from Bernardo’s hold. Twisting, he whacked Dante’s earpiece, jamming the device into the large man’s head. Then he shouldered him into the nearest wall. Appalled gasps rose from the remaining tourists.

Bernardo grabbed Nick from behind. Nick’s elbow blasted backward, landing with a shattering blow in the man’s ribs. Dante dug his finger into his ear and pulled the piece out. He flicked it at Nick, poised to attack.

Confident he was quicker, Nick ducked, popped up, and discharged a quick snap of his fist.

Blood from the brawny guard’s nose sprayed across the polished marble wall.

Museum patrons, many holding cell phones, cameras, and tablets, backed up, giving the fight a wide berth. Nick clocked Bernardo. His wide tungsten wedding ring connected with the man’s jaw.

Bernardo stumbled, falling to the floor.

Nick sprinted for the exit and down the hall, tossing the hat and scarf as he ran.

Bursting through the Palazzo doors, he descended the Giants’ Staircase three steps at a time but slipped on the courtyard’s stone surface and crashed on his back. A jolt to his tailbone rang up his spine. He rolled onto his side and checked the staircase.

Bernardo and Dante loomed at the top. The two men hustled down, their dark jackets flowing behind them.

Tiny gravel pebbles burrowed into Nick’s palms as he scrambled up. He darted for the main entrance, disregarding what felt like a sledgehammer pounding his lower back with every step.

“Arrestatelo!” Bernardo called out.

Two uniformed guards rushed to block the front gate.

Nick stormed ahead.

The guards braced themselves. Nick plowed into the larger one, his speed and weight bowling the man over.

The smaller guard dove for Nick, wrapping a firm hold around his ankle. He pitched forward and fell to the ground.

“Fuck.” Nick kicked his free foot out. It hit the man’s cheek with a sickening crunch. A bloody tooth flew out and skipped across the ground. The guard’s grip loosened.

Nick clambered to his feet and bolted for the entrance. He dodged a college-aged tourist, jumped the turnstile, and sprinted for St. Mark’s Square.

A large woman in a neon pink shirt with a matching visor shouted at him. She pulled her young daughter to her as Nick ran by, almost knocking them down. He regretted the bedlam he was causing, but what choice did he have?

Pigeons flew upward in alarm as he made his way through the golden, late afternoon light of the square. He glanced over his shoulder.

Bernardo and Dante closed in, thirty feet away.

Nick’s throbbing back screamed for attention, but he upped his speed and crossed into an alley in the corner of the piazza. He reached the other side, raced through the passageway between buildings, and entered a narrow street. He shuffled into a group of revelers who had overflowed from a crowded wine bar. Shimmying through the people, he spotted a small bridge over the next canal. Nick dashed across it and made another right, which led him to yet another alley.

Stagnant, rank air engulfed him.

“Son of a bitch.”

A dead-end. Illegible graffiti covered the walls. Even in the moment, the vandalism pissed Nick off.

A steel door was the only possible exit. The rusty knob didn’t budge. Nick pivoted back toward the alley entrance.

His pursuers cast long shadows that extended to Nick’s sneakers. Despite their broken posture as they fought to catch their breath, their expressions championed triumph. Dante wiped the blood from his nose with a grin.

“You were warned more than once.” Bernardo’s voice echoed off the walls.

Unsure how he’d escape, Nick retreated until he bumped against the door.

The men advanced. Each pulled a silver short sword from a concealed holster beneath their suit jackets.

Fear and desperation caused Nick’s heart to pound so violently, he thought he heard it. But the blood churning through him generated a stronger urge: revenge. And he could only do right by Isabella if he survived this mess.

Bernardo lunged. Though burly and one-armed, his movements were lithe.

Nick dropped low as the sword whizzed over his head.

Dante positioned his weapon high and brought it down, slicing through Nick’s shirt and into his forearm.

Nick hollered as the pain seared through him.

He charged Dante, who raised his sword again. Nick caught his hand and body-checked him into the brick wall. Nick sensed Bernardo behind him and rotated, barely avoiding the blade slicing for his back.

Planting his foot, Nick went for the sword. His hands clenched around Bernardo’s, and they struggled for control of the hilt. Nick spat in his eyes and wrested the weapon away. With the last of his wavering strength, he slipped behind Bernardo and brought the sword to the man’s armpit under his one arm.

“Drop it,” he said to Dante, who had his back to the alley’s end.

Dante scowled but let his weapon fall with an echoing clang.

“Now kick it over here and lay down. On your stomach. Arms out.”

Dante did as instructed.

“Get next to him,” Nick ordered Bernardo with a shove. “Flat.”

Bernardo followed suit.

Retrieving Dante’s weapon, Nick kept watch on their forms. His opponents counterbalanced the stare, studying his every move. Nick wrapped his fingers around the hilts. Holding swords felt good. Natural. He flourished them simultaneously and grinned, unaware he had that skill.

Nick had a peculiar sensation, not that of anger but distinct determination. His mind played through potential outcomes, and one came into focus: he imagined rushing the men, and with raised blades, he hacked their bodies—first their faces, then their necks and torsos. Their warm blood drenched his skin.

The scene gave him a surge of foul power. He teetered from the unfamiliarity of it and shook his head to clear the image.

No. Nick wasn’t a murderer.

Instead, he turned and raced for the alley entrance, tossing the swords away in disgust. His heart sank as he heard the two men getting to their feet. Rounding the corner, Nick ran under an archway connecting two buildings. He angled for the building wall, stepped on a brick edge, and jumped up, catching an exposed pipe ten feet up.

As footsteps approached, he swung and kicked, striking a direct hit into Bernardo’s face. Bernardo toppled into Dante, the two landing hard on the ground. Nick dropped from the pipe and sprinted in the other direction, his torn shirtsleeve flapping off his bloodied arm. 

***

Excerpt from The Prisoner of Paradise by Rob Samborn. Copyright 2021 by Rob Samborn. Reproduced with permission from Rob Samborn. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Rob Samborn

In addition to being a novelist, Rob Samborn is a screenwriter, entrepreneur and avid traveler. He’s been to forty countries, lived in five of them (including Italy) and studied nine languages. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intricacies of our world and try his hand at a multitude of crafts; he’s also an accomplished artist and musician, as well as a budding furniture maker. A native New Yorker who lived in Los Angeles for twenty years, he now makes his home in Denver with his wife, daughter and dog.

Catch Up With Rob Samborn:
RobSamborn.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @rsamborn
LinkedIn
Instagram – @robsamborn
Twitter – @RobSamborn
Facebook – @RobSambornAuthor
TikTok – @robsamborn

 

 

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  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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