Review – Sara by Tony Hayden #tonyhayden

Posted on May 17, 2022 by fundinmental

I was scrolling through my reading list and came across the cover for Sara by Tony Hayden and I wondered why it has sat on my reading list since 8.10.14. Does the cover draw you in, make you wonder what evils are inside the cover?

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Sara unfolds like a Criminal Minds episode…a young college girl, a small town, a flat tire, a corrupt and dangerous police chief, a dad looking…

I was drawn in so quickly, with shivers running up and down my spine, rapidly turning pages…

At 20% my fears ramped up, the tension and pacing was off the charts and I couldn’t read fast enough. I could see this really happening, the events and characters could be real, the writing made the story come to life.

I found myself checking how much of the book was left because I had a really bad feeling…

I love this quote: “…we concentrate on finding the bad guys after the fact to ensure the cycle is broken.”

As the pieces came together, I knew my spidey senses hadn’t failed me, but I didn’t realize how bad these monsters were…and how many there were in one small town.

Tony Hayden took a twist I didn’t see coming and I love when an author can spin a twist to a story that I have read over and over…missing girl…in the woods…and make me unable to put the book down until I found all the answers.

I had two problems, which I won’t detail, one with the dad and one with Sara, but it kept the story going to the place Tony Hayden wanted it to be. That happens to me a lot in suspense novels, and I totally understand why it has to go that way. And, who knows how people will react until they are put in that position. Still, it kept nagging me, so a solid four stars it is.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

On a lonely two-lane highway through the foothills of Northern Colorado, Sara Jean Haller has disappeared. Her father, a rural county deputy, battles his own demons and a despotic sheriff in a desperate search to find his only child. Mike Haller must untangle a web of lies and secrets woven into the fabric of this small mountain town to discover the road that leads to his missing daughter.
Tony Hayden has laced together a story of struggle, hope and the untethered brutality of men without boundary that forces the reader up a dark mountain path to the edge of a shallow grave that hides no secrets.

ABOUT TONY HAYDEN

Tony Hayden is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. A former history teacher and fourteen year veteran of the Army and Army National Guard, he now lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and son.

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 stopping by fundinmental!

Rescued Release Day Blitz @CaffeinatedPR

Posted on May 17, 2022 by fundinmental

Today we are excited to share the release of Rescued. This anthology from New York Times and USA bestselling authors delivers a collection of contemporary romances filled with heat, heart and dog treats! The authors have rescue dogs and came together because of their beloved pups. They are donating release day sales to Roxanne St. Claire’s rescue charity.

Rescued Release Day!!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

What happens when 10 dog-loving romance authors get together and brainstorm? Why, books with rescue dogs, sexy heroes, dirty talking, and lots of dog treats, of course.

From Cynthia D’Alba – Hot Assets– A Dallas socialite must team up with a cop to save her rescued dog from a determined dognapper
From Donna Alward – Doggie on her Doorstep When Emily’s flighty cousin leaves her dog on Em’s doorstep, she enlists the help of the sexy grouch next door.
From Jenna Bayley-Burke – The Guy Next Door –Fourth grade teacher has the naughtiest dog, the punniest jokes, and perfect washboard abs…and now an angry neighbor with a busted fence thanks to his dog.
From Mandy Harbin– Rescuing Orion – When undercover FBI agents foster a dog to investigate a money launderer, ignoring their attraction becomes difficult with playing house with a cute pooch.
From Cindy Kirk – For the Love of Ivy – A city girl and the dog she rescues turns a sexy rancher’s life upside down
From Melissa Schroeder – Last Love – A single mom tries to avoid her one-night stand, but her dog, Houdini, keeps leading her to his door.
From Lexxie Couper – Who’s A Good Boy? – After meeting a feisty dog trainer and a 3-legged dog, the future PM of Australia questions his future and his life.
From Shana Gray – Dogs on A Plane- A heavy snow strands a bush pilot and socialite with a pack of love hungry pups. Who saves who?
From Laura Trentham –Nobody’s Hero – An ex-con tries to persuade an abandoned puppy and an innocent romance author he’s nobody’s hero.
From Tamlyn Black – Nobody But You – A grumpy cowboy has his world upended by his sister’s new BFF and the stray dog she brings to his door

Teaser from A Dog on Her Doorstep

Emily Janssen stood at the bottom of her driveway and stared at her front step. Even from fifty feet away, she could see that the black and-brown lump blocking her front door was a dog.

A big dog.

A big, hairy dog.

She wasn’t afraid of dogs, though she always took care when approaching one she didn’t know. That was just responsible. She was just… confused. Why on earth would a dog choose her front step? There was nothing to entice a pup to her townhouse. No other dogs—or cats, for that matter—or treats or toys or kids looking to play.

More was the pity, but who had time for all that, anyway?

The dog finally noticed her, sat up, and let out a deep woof accompanied by a swooshy, waggy tail.

She sighed, but couldn’t help but be charmed.

“Well, hello to you too,” she said starting up the driveway. “And who might you be? Aren’t you pretty?”

The swishy tail swished faster as the dog stood, and its back end started to wiggle. She recognized the breed easily. Bernese Mountain Dogs were lovely, but large. If this guy decided to jump up to say hello, she’d find herself on her butt. – Excerpt from Doggie on Her Doorstep by Donna Alward

Grab your copy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

Release Day sales benefit Roxanne St. Claire’s rescue charity.

Authors

Cynthia D’Alba, Donna Alward, Jenna Bayley-Burke, Mandy Harbin, Melissa Schroeder, Lexxie Couper, Shana Gray, Laura Trentham, Tamlyn Black, & Cindy Kirk forward by Roxanne St. Claire.

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 – Shadowed Horizons by Reily Garrett @XpressoTours

Posted on May 17, 2022 by fundinmental

Shadowed Horizons
Reily Garrett
(The Guardians, #1)
Publication date: May 13th 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror, Paranormal

Fate can have many paths. Which would you choose?

Kiera’s capacity to face death stems from training, begun when old enough to wield a knife. Befriended by wolves and raised by a group of psychic men sworn to protect humanity, she now faces mercenaries intent on reshaping the world using equal talents.

Prodigious keyboard skills and innate curiosity has led Wyatt McGlauklin to invent the unimaginable. He’s long since claimed status as the top computer science geek. Little do people know, there’s much more to Wyatt.

When a blonde spitfire steps out of nowhere to prevent his assassination, his life’s direction takes an extraordinary turn where his analytical mind can’t validate paranormal phenomena.

Fate decrees Kiera find her life partner, but she learns you don’t always get to choose whom you love. Wyatt’s arrival challenges destiny as they combine forces to preserve the world as they know it.

A must-read for fans of for fans of CM Sutter, Dale Mayer, Dean Koontz, LT Ryan, and Fiona Quinn.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Each flip of the key ring around his index finger tallied another reason to quit the world of high stake’s business. Work stemming from a far-fetched theory had taken form and flourished beyond his imagination.

Unlike the soundless steps of his bodyguard’s booted strides, Wyatt’s tennis shoes pealed squishy squeaks through the dimly lit parking garage.

“Adam, this does not make my list of top favorite places to visit. Next time I help an old college friend, maybe we could pick a drier day and find parking other than a creepy garage?”

A rat skittered across the floor in the shadows, its gimlet-eyed stare marking the intruders’ positions. Air redolent of filth, gas, and pizza from a nearby restaurant clogged Wyatt’s sinuses, reminiscent of the alley apartment occupied during college. Since those lean years, digital fluency and hard work had jettisoned him to the top of his field.

The clash of artificial dingy light and murky silhouettes added an ominous, prophetic feeling he couldn’t shake. Water stains mingled with shapeless apparitions to create fleeting two-dimensional monsters between vehicles, ready to attack unwary travelers.

He was not a fan of inkblot tests.

I haven’t been spooked like this in years.

Adam shrugged. “As far as security is concerned, it’s not an ideal location since the street side is open, but it is the closest available. Roadside parking leaves you too vulnerable. As much as you cherish you privacy, I’m surprised you offered to help him. Why couldn’t you do it over the net?”

“Hardware issues require hands-on assistance. He’s my ex-roommate. I felt sorry for him. Modern advances in technology left him in the dust.”

“Next time, suggest a meeting during daylight hours and a place of our choosing?”

Adam narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as if listening to a far-off sound. The combination spelled trouble. His steps slowed and adopted a deliberate edge even as his shoulders tightened in preparation to strike.

“A graveyard walk would be less creepy, and a proctologist’s exam more fun.” Sweat beaded Wyatt’s forehead despite the cool spring breeze drifting over the graffiti-covered knee wall.

“This place feels off to me. Let’s get the hell out of here—” Adam stopped, holding out his right arm to halt their progress.

Wyatt’s slip on a crudely patched piece of concrete necessitated his bodyguard’s steadying hand. Dirt and loose crumbles skittered underfoot, their audio report echoing off the walls.

“Watch your step, boss. No need to broadcast our location.”

“You know,” Wyatt muttered. “People think of me as a good analytical, concrete thinker. I guess whatever higher power gifted me with intuitive abilities for logistics and computers exacted a mental tariff—common sense.” His penchant for talking when nervous filled the quiet atmosphere.

“My instincts say trouble’s GPS has locked on. Stay close.”

The soft glide of his bodyguard’s gun from his shoulder rig compelled Wyatt to suck in chilled air that seared his lungs. Each step forward carried the expectation of death.

“Intuition is your best survival tool and seldom wrong. For an athletic geek, yours is pretty good.”

Wyatt didn’t argue the conciliatory assessment. Routine sparring with Adam revealed the bodyguard had reflexes that boggled the mind.

Sudden sharp beeps shattered the silence. A sequence of long and short chirps denoting binary code identified Wyatt’s caller. His heart rate shot into overdrive. Hair on his nape prickled as he fumbled the device. Swiping to ignore didn’t recall the audible beacon.

Massive pillars supported the five-story concrete structure that supplied parking space for the attached office building. Rounding one to his left, Wyatt stumbled as Adam snatched him sideways.

The colossal brute they almost bounced off had detached from the shadows with a stealth befitting a sixteenth century ninja. Colossal mass defied speed but personified malice with a savage gaze and gap-toothed smile.

“Jesus!” Wyatt’s split-second observation induced a rush of adrenaline with the hand holding his cell thrusting forward in self-protection. “Damn. You’re big.”

Deep chuckling inspired images of the worst villains in horror movies.

Brown hair pulled back in a ponytail swept the shoulder of the man bearing a gold tooth. A ridge of pitted, tanned skin separated the straight bushy unibrow deepening with a tilt of his head. Dark eyes retained terrible knowledge embracing and calculating endless methods for the most efficient kill.

After flicking a glance over the bodyguard in silent disregard, the brute’s appraisal raked Wyatt’s body head to toe. Thin lips widened in obvious glee.

“Time to meet your maker, prodigy.” He mimicked Wyatt’s sidestep in a lightning-fast move and knocked Adam’s gun from his hand. The pistol ricocheted under a nearby Toyota producing multiple tin-like clinks.

Time shattered into bits and pieces where each fractured instant unfurled another fragment of the ominous scene. Wyatt’s thoughts stuttered on a long blink.

Author Bio:

Reily Garrett is a writer, mother, and companion to three long coat German shepherds. When not working with her dogs, she’s sitting at her desk with her fur kids by her side.

Author of chilling suspense and snarky romance, her stories span the distance of romantic thrillers, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. Regardless of genre, each book delves into a dark and twisted imagination yet is tempered with romance and a touch of humor.

Reviews by Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Bay Review, and BestThrillers.com best describe her work:

“This could be James Patterson, Lee Child, and Tess Gerritsen rolled into one, but the dark, twisted methods used by the serial killer could surprise even those readers…” – San Francisco Bay Review

“…steamy, seductive police procedural…” – BestThrillers.com

“…well-researched thriller that remains romantically genuine throughout.” – Kirkus Review

Prior experience in the Military Police, private investigations, and as an ICU nurse gives her fiction a real-world flavor. Find Reily below.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

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 = The Heart Knows by Toby Negus @GoddessFish

Posted on May 17, 2022 by fundinmental

I want to welcome Toby Negus to fundinmental. I left the topic open to whatever Toby would like to share. I hope you enjoy it. Take it away Toby….

Love

While I was sitting within a grove of trees, my gaze came to rest upon a single tree. I tried to see this tree as it was, to feel its life without my conditions of how I thought it should be. So, I waited for another way to understand this tree, resisting the distractions in me that so wanted to tell the tree what it was. I waited for the tree to tell me who it was. Ever so slowly, an awareness of the tree grew in me of its life, its interconnectivity to the other trees, the air, and the earth. This tree felt singular in its purpose; not a different type of tree or a daffodil, but the tree that it was.

It felt like it had no doubt of what it was or why it was. The power of the tree’s self-identity was total. It was in love with being the tree that it was.

This irrevocable love that is evident in nature, feels so different from the human experience of love. Ours seems a kaleidoscopic chaotic love affair. Unfixed to the singular love that a tree has. It is a helter-skelter ride of highs and lows, where our everchanging will causes our love to come and go all too easily.

The tree does not have to make it, it is in it! We have to summon it; create its opportunities and beckon it into our lives. And we do this each day; rekindle the sparks of our purpose to find again our love. Because we do long to be in love in what we do, with another and with who we are. We love to love, love to share, love to give, love to make things that shine, and of course, we love to be happy.

It seems that the human task is to ‘make love’, to give birth to it by our will. And this we do, in our choices of passion and in the struggles we endure to bring our heart’s love to life.

The Heart Knows What the Mind Cannot See by Toby Negus

GENRE: self-help, mind body spirit

BLURB

This is a thought-provoking and enlightening exploration of spirituality and perception. The text functions as a guide to self-improvement, with a mixture of autobiographical elements and snippets of universal wisdom. The speaker provides accessible solutions to life’s difficulties, and an outlook of optimism applicable to any circumstance. The illustrations and graphics are thoughtfully chosen, and the interactive textual elements give this work an originality that sets it apart. The speaker’s own experiences and conclusions are at the heart of this fiction, and the first person narrative voice creates a sense of proximity between author and reader. The text describes itself as ‘a journey to the heart’, and this truthful discovery of the self is reflected in the speaker’s revelation of his whole self through the text. The narrative often presents a dichotomy between positive and negative outlooks or voices.

For example, the speaker includes sections in which his self-doubt speaks, ‘you’ve got no proper education, you can’t spell properly, you’re dyslexic and your grammar is crap. You’re not really a writer’. This negative voice directly opposes the sense of self-belief the speaker builds within the narrative. He uses examples such as this to remind readers that the journey to happiness is complex and that flaws or setbacks are natural. The negative separation or fragmentation of the self is prevalent in the lines, ‘I do not love the grumpy me, the sad me, the hostile me, the parts of me that act as if I do not care’. The act of writing represents a unification of the self and an attempt to reframe the speaker’s life into coherence. The frequent use of direct address and rhetorical questions promotes an active reading experience, in which the author opens up a dialogue with the reader. The text includes prompts and activities for the reader to engage with and learn from. Encouraging readers to take part in the text is emblematic of their journey to self-fulfilment and love, in which they must take responsibility for actively creating their own happiness.

The speaker depicts his process of enlightenment as a framework for others to emulate, and the format of the text demonstrates the transfer of agency to those who take part in the speaker’s challenges at the end of each chapter. This work ultimately teaches us that ‘we are the cause of what is’ and thus sheds light on the crucial idea that every individual has the power to create themselves and their world positively.

EXCERPT

Real learning is not what we expect. If we could expect it, it wouldn’t be learning.

I looked in the mirror today and saw more than who I thought I was; within the eyes was a million years of purpose. I saw the depth of the universe and felt its unfaltering love. It was as if I had seen the divine within myself, the truth of who we are. The us that never dies, the custodian of our purpose, the love of our life.

This wasn’t what I expected and was somewhat sobering. There was no blinding light, no sound of trumpets, and no big handshake with an almighty. But it was as profound as if there had been. For it seemed I was touching an eternal part of myself, an authority within that could create my heaven on earth, that was already in heaven on earth! It was a glimpse of something other than the me I thought I was. Its light questioned the lack of self-care and love I held for myself. And its presence would eventually crack and then dissolve my view of what I thought it meant to be human.

Doing a spiritual journey and tackling self-development issues can give many profound perceptions, and I have had my fair share of them. But this was different, this was personal. It was my eyes that were looking at me, something that I could not escape from. It could not be brushed off as a ‘perhaps’ or a nice perception that subsided over time. Its truth seemed to embed itself into my very soul.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Toby Negus has studied and taught spiritual and personal development in the UK and around the world for over two decades. He is qualified in advanced counselling, as a life coach and as a Cognitive Behaviour therapist. He is an Amazon best-selling author of a collaborative Conscious Creators book and has illustrated and self published two books on the subject of self-awareness and the spiritual journey. He is also a published author of a children’s book The Boy Who Dreamed in Colour. He has given talks and run workshops in support of his published work within the UK.

In the last few years, he has created many pieces of artwork that are a reflection of his spiritual journey. These have appeared in magazines and have been exhibited in the UK.