Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
In the late nineties, a
bad cop killed a good woman and DC Homicide detective Marty Singer
watched the murderer walk out of the courtroom a free man.
Twelve
years later, the victim’s daughter begs for help: the killer is
stalking her now. But Marty has retired to battle cancer. A second shot
at the killer–and a first chance at redemption–Marty has A Reason to Live.
The Marty Singer detective series: A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1) Blueblood (Marty Singer #2) One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3) The Spike (Marty Singer #4) The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5 – Summer 2014)
I added this to my Goodreads TBR on 10.12.12 but grabbed it from Amazon on 8.3.12. The Goodreads ratings make this a very desirable read for me. Described as a noir crime, hard boiled mystery,it makes me think of Humphrey Bogart and I always like that. How about you? Do old time mysteries appeal to you?
Jane Blythe is one of my must read authors. Her romantic suspense does everything you want it to do and she covers dark and disturbing events, which draw me in like flies to honey.
I have been anticipating Emerald’s story and finally…I have it. I let the book linger on my Kindle for a little while because I knew this was the last sister to be found after their parents had sold them to human sex traffickers. It is fifteen years later….and this book sure took a turn I wasn’t expecting. Jane Blythe is good at that, so don’t get too comfortable. I am sure this is going to be a very bumpy ride.
“Ooh, she’s a pretty one.”
“How old?”
“Fifteen.”
“She’s not to be touched…she’ll either be sent to training or sent off with her new owner.”
Emerald is only fifteen, the baby of the family. It had only been a year since she quit sleeping with a night lite, even though she shared a bedroom with her sister, Sapphire. Her name matches her emerald green eyes.
She knew it was easiest to obey, though she wished the floor would swallow her up. She felt her dreams would never come true. She would not live a wonderful life, dying at an old age. Would she even make it to twenty? She didn’t care. She is afraid to live. Afraid to die.
Emerald gets to her owner, and I thought OMG, but she felt relieved. When you read Splintered Emerald, you’ll understand why we had conflicting thoughts, though I do see why she felt that way.
Ten days. Ten days until her eighteenth birthday. What then? She still held a tiny sliver of hope…hope that she would be rescued.
Eleven years have gone by…OMG…I would have lost all hope.
WOW! Fifteen years have gone by and Jane has gone off the rails with this one. My mind would never get to where she took me on my own. I am stunned and unable to see how we are going to reach a happy ending. Jane’s imagination knows no bounds and I love it!
I am trying to be careful about what I share with you, because this dark and evil story you need to read for yourself. And it kept getting worse. The physical torture may be surpassed by the mental torture, the innocence stripped away. The abuse, rape and beatings aren’t enough for Jane, she has gone even darker. AND I LOVE IT!
I don’t know what to think of Emerald. She is so lost, I don’t know if she can find herself, when she learns the truth. But, what is the truth?
There is an underlying story that I haven’t figured out. I thought of…but it doesn’t fit. I was curious how Jane Blythe would wrap up the book and the Hatcher sisters stories. She nailed it.
The Epilogue…I love Prologues and Epilogues. It is sweet, but I felt some pieces were missing. It doesn’t affect my rating THOUGH…5 well earned STARS it is!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Splintered Emerald by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Fifteen years is a long time to be missing.
Emerald Hatcher was the baby of the Hatcher family. Sweet, kind, compassionate, a dreamer who would give the shirt off her back to someone who needed it more than her.
But that was then.
What have fifteen years away from her family, tortured and abused, done to her?
The Hatcher sisters have been desperate to find the last sister and bring her home, but what they get is not what they bargained for.
Is anyone really ready for Emerald Hatcher to return home?
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!
Hidden in the Capitol B. Ivy Woods (In The Capitol, #3) Publication date: November 20th 2020 Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Sometimes things are better left alone.
Eve Jackson stumbles upon a secret that was never meant to see the light of day. She’s a journalist and it’s her job to find the story. But when she becomes the story, it’s time to get out of dodge. With the help of Kane Slade, the man who is the opposite of everything she thinks she wants, she bolts out of town.⠀
⠀
Kane doesn’t think twice about rescuing Eve. He happens to be in the right place at the right time. He also believes they could rekindle the chemistry they had during a one night stand several years ago. Most days he can be found running a foundation that supports veterans, but has always been secretive about his side gigs. After things get heated in Washington DC, he invites Eve to stay with him in his hometown, Capitol, Virginia. What starts out as a small vacation quickly turns dangerous.⠀
⠀
Nothing stays hidden in the Capitol for long.
B. Ivy Woods has been writing for as long as she can remember. After getting her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Environmental Policy and a Master’s in Energy Policy and Law and working in the environmental field for several years, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. That is when thoughts of a writing career really took off. Although she competed in NaNoWriMo multiple times, 2019 was the first year that she won. This win inspired her to make writing a career. Her debut novel will be self-published in 2020.
Although she is originally from New York City, she currently lives in the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia) with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat.
Operation Navajo by Anita Dickason is not my first book by the author and it will not be my last. She has the ability to hook me from the beginning and keep me going until the final page has been read.
Anita Dickason is just as interesting as her novels, so be sure and check out her bio.
Anita Dickason gets right to the heart of the matter…a death threat against the life of the Federal Reserve Chairman, Frank Littleton. He seeks the help of the FBI’s elite Tracker Unit. The team makes me think of the Criminal MInds team and the BAU. This is a series, but each book can stand alone.
The Navajo Code was used during WWII. The Lakota, the Comanche, the Hopi, the Crow and other Native Americans served as code talkers. The Navajo Code was the only code never to have been broken.
Blake, one of Scott’s agents, received a package containing a Navajo Code, among other things. He received it because of a blast from the past and I do wonder how it will fit in with what I know. Intriguing. What is so important that it has to be secretly passed in Code? And seeing the Code has never been broken, how will he ever figure it out?
We have plenty of arrogance from the corrupt people who are greedy and conspire to have more. I am a huge fan of conspiracies. I feel I have an open mind, a cynical attitude, and enough doubt to keep from falling off the sane world.
I love authors that do their research and we get an inside glimpse and history of the Federal Reserve.
Books like Operation Navajo scare me, because they sound all too true. In this wacky world we are living in right now, it does make me wonder….could this happen? Is it happening now? Wouldn’t surprise me and that is definitely something to fear.
Anita Dickason’s biography reads like a suspense thriller character and I can imagine where her inspiration for her wonderful stories comes from. Keep up the great work!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Operation Navajo by Anita Dickason
4 Stars
AMAZON TEASE
“Whoever controls the flow of the money supply, irrespective of whether it is fiat or gold currency, is the one to fear.”
ABOUT ANITA DICKASON
Code Name: Trackers: The elite of the elite. FBI agents, each with a secret, an extra edge, that defies reason and logic.
Characters
with unexpected skills—that extra edge for overcoming danger and
adversity—have always intrigued Anita. Adding an infatuation with
ancient myths and legends of Native American Indians, and Scottish and
Irish folklore creates the backdrop for her characters.
Anita is a
retired Dallas Police Officer. During—what she refers to as an
extraordinary career—Anita served as a patrol officer, undercover
narcotics officer, advanced accident investigator, and SWAT
entry/sniper.
Upon retirement, she became involved in a research
project that dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy
assassination. The research led to her first book, JFK Assassination
Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy, that details the results of her
reconstruction of a 1966 motor vehicle accident that killed Lee Bowers,
Jr., a key witness to the assassination.
Once the Bowers book
was written, Anita reached the same point many authors ultimately face:
I’ve written it, now what do I do? Answering that question has become
another career, one she has wholeheartedly embraced. The publishing
field is in a constant state of flux, offering unlimited possibilities
for an author, but also endless landmines.
Anita started a new
company, Mystic Circle Books & Designs LLC, offering cover design
and manuscript services. In addition to her works as an author, she
enjoys helping other authors see their dream become a reality.
Old Hallows Eve, when things go bump in the night, Children come to play, and the witches provide the fright. For 19 authors, USA Today and international bestselling, The Halloween tales become more than this foretelling. In the Soul’s Day Boxset, a mansion feeds on souls, A gargoyle captures them, and a demon dungeon master makes the calls, Campers gets picked off one by one, The Karnaval’s corn dogs are less than fun, Ghosts lurking around every bend, ‘I do’ at the wedding is the very end. A boxset of chills and thrills to keep you up at night, One-click pre-order to snap your copy filled with fright. On old Hallow’s eve when creatures come to play, With this spine chilling pages, it’s where you’ll want to stay.
A boxset filled with all kinds of weird, the unexplained, terror and survival from unearthly beings.
Azaaa Davis has a story in this boxset and I am so excited to share it! I have read her Nadira Holden Demon Hunter series and loved them.
Sooooo, let me introduce you to Jilted and Azaaa Davis:
My story in SBD: Jilted by Azaaa DavisCover image attached. Page count: 60Blurb:
Administrative
assistant by day and boss lady on social media by night, Theresa enjoys
sharing her charmed life with half-million followers. The only thing
she loves more is being engaged to the hottest doctor at the clinic
where they both work. Cementing her fame by reaching one million
followers would be the icing on her wedding cake.
Life
stops running smoothly when her husband vanishes on their wedding night
and a leaked photo of a barely-dressed Theresa yelling at the police
sparks a viral sensation. With everything at stake—love, reputation,
followers, and job—she embarks on a reluctant voyage of discovery.
Follow Theresa as she stumbles over her new husband’s secrets and
develops her inner strength.
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let’s share
some songs we’ve been enjoying lately! If you would like to play, and
I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below HERE
Chandelier by Sia makes me pause every time I hear it on the commercial. I can’t remember the product, but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of perfume. Funny how the song sticks, but the product doesn’t.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hello fellow bloggers. Not much new and different. As I write this, I am binging on Twilight for the umpteenth time. How about you? Do you have a favorite movie that you can’t help watching over and over?
Want to see what’s happening on my TBR, click HERE.
Hope you have a good week. Stay safe and I’ll be seeing you.
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.
This week I had a hard time concentrating, so I didn’t get much read and I added a few.
I can’t help it . . . from the
extensive decorating (too many orange tubs to count!) to the ghoulish
appetizers (including skull Jell-O molds!) . . . I love it all!! But for sake
of space, I’ll condense my bump in the night and howl at the moon passions into
a list of favorite things.
Tagline: Max and Charlotte return for the explosive conclusion of the “By Moonlight” series . . . and the stakes have never been higher!
Book Description:
He’s the Promised One
A Mobster’s attack dog turned legitimate business powerhouse, Max Savoie is the reluctant leader of New Orleans’ shapeshifter clan. They’ve kept to anonymous shadows, working and living unnoticed by the human world until their new Shifter King’s past draws dangerous outsiders who threaten all.
She’s the Protector
A fiercely determined NOPD detective, Charlotte Caissie has sworn to defend her beloved city and her unborn child from both criminals and otherworldly factions at war. While standing boldly at the side of her mate/husband, secrets from the past return to shake the foundation of her beliefs.
They Have a Problem
Walking a marital tight rope between opposite worlds, Max and Cee Cee’s paths place truth and trust at odds when outside threats force enemies to become allies. The time to take a stand for their family and their future is at hand. Time to rise together for the survival of all they love!
Max hadn’t
visited that dark portion of his past for a very long time. Why now? Because of
the life his mate carried? Or were the dangerous shadows of unfinished business
reaching out from a swampy grave, a reminder of things he’d rather forget?
A rocking
chair’s familiar creak. He tensed and twisted anxiously in the throes of his
dream. Icy fingers of caution and loss clutched his chest as eyes darted behind
closed lids. Unable to deny his desire to look again upon the worn elegance of
his mother’s features, he faced his dread the way he’d addressed his life, with
a cautious, reluctant need to know the truth . . . of who and what he was.
Shadows, like
those long-ago secrets, hung thick, revealing little of the dark head bent over
the child Marie Savoie held in arms both protective and comforting. Max wished
she’d look up to feed time-starved memories, craving the gentle curve of her
smile and loving warmth in her gaze. He settled for the steadying croon of a
voice from the past.
“What is it,
Max? Another bad dream? They can’t harm you.”
As much as he
loved her, then and now, he’d never quite believed that assurance. Bad things
existed beyond the rusty gate imprisoning his youthful curiosity within their
overgrown yard for the first five years of his life. He knew because he was one
of them, a child of the unnatural world. All he’d wanted was to find his place
within it. But his mother had hidden that knowledge from him, just as she’d
kept the outside away for as long as she could
“Mama, what’s
wrong with me?” that small voice sobbed.
The rocker
continued to complain as she stroked the child’s black hair. Her tender gesture
failed to calm either boy or the man he’d become.
“Nothing’s wrong
with you, Max. You’re perfect. They just don’t understand, so they fear you.
That’s why you must be careful to never let them see the truth.”
“What truth?” he’d
pleaded. “Mama, tell me!”
Low and soft,
Max repeated from where he watched, decades away, “Mama, tell me.”
She brushed a
kiss across the top of the child’s flushed brow then slowly straightened,
turning toward Max Savoie, a surreal voyeur from the future she’d never see.
Her gaze swam with tears like liquid silver before flaring bright, then hot.
Then red.
“Max,” she
crooned, “you’re just like me.”
About the Author:
Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 70 romances ranging from historical, Regency, and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal and horror, with a couple of produced screenplays and non-fiction writing books tossed into the mix. Newly retired from 20 years as a legal assistant, she feeds a Netflix addiction along with all things fur, fin, and fowl, and dotes on her grandguy. She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, and Lauren Giddings.
Book Title: What’s Not Said by Valerie Taylor Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 316 pages Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit Publisher: She Writes Press Release date: Sept 15, 2020 Format available for review: print, and NetGalley Download (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf) Will send print books out: USA Tour dates: Sep 28 to Oct 16, 2020 Content Rating: PG-13 + M. WHAT’S NOT SAID is rated
PG-13+M because of four F-words, moderate cussing, two explicit sex
scenes, and a couple of implicit sex scenes.
Book Description:
In WHAT’S NOT SAID, we meet Kassie O’Callaghan, a middle-aged woman who’s on a mission to divorce her emotionally abusive husband and start a new life with a younger man she met while on a solo vacation in Venice. When she learns her husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans collapse until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits. Then again, Kassie is no angel. As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, the separate lives they lead collide head-on into a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. Still, mindful of her vows, Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret. Problem is, if she reveals it, her own immorality will be exposed, forcing her to decide whose life to save—her husband’s or her own.
WHAT’S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is Valerie Taylor’s debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021. While WHAT’S NOT SAID is the first installment of a series, it is written and can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a B.S. Marketing degree and an MBA from Sacred Heart University, as well as a graduate certificate in health care administration from
Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. After her divorce, she spread her wings and relocated her career to Boston and then to Seattle. When she retired, she resettled in her home state to be near her two grown children and granddaughter. She’s a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of Westport
Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator. WHAT’S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is her debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021.
