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
And here’s what he has been working on while isolated at home.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hello everyone. Hope you had a good week. Mine was a bit of the usual, working outside, reading while it rains…and I did a lot of reading. Hope you have some good things planned for this week, that you are well and staying safe.
h3>Farm For Sale. 360-acre lot with ranch-style home. Refurbished barn. Corpse not included.
To find her missing aunt, she has to unearth the secrets of the past. But lies and deceit run through the very heart of their town…
What started out as a promising relationship with adventurer and tycoon Alec Zavos has fizzled into an uncertain future for antiquities expert Annalisse Drury. Returning to Walker Farm in Upstate New York to see her Aunt Kate should have been a welcome homecoming and distraction. Instead, she finds the childhood home she expected to inherit is for sale, without her permission. What’s worse, Kate’s ranch manager makes a gruesome discovery in the barn: the body of an unidentified man, dead by foul play.
Annalisse turns to Alec for help. She and her aunt shelter on his estate in the Catskills while the authorities canvass the scene. But when Kate herself disappears without a trace, Annalisse fears the worst: that one of the many secrets of her hometown has ensnared her family—a secret someone is willing to kill for to keep hidden.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery Published by: Ewephoric Publishing Publication Date: December 11th 2019 Number of Pages: 378 ISBN: 0999539426 (ISBN13: 9780999539422) Series: Annalisse Series #2 || This is a Stand-Alone novel but the reader may gain more about the character’s past if they pick up the first book. Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
…from chapter fifteen
She caught a glimpse of Bill’s scarred neck and considered prying. “May I ask a personal question?”
“Sure.” He steered the next turn. “I’ll answer if I can.”
“Did you get burned?”
He rubbed the side of his neck as if to soothe a haunting memory. “I used to be a fireman. Got caught in a seven-story roof collapse. Almost bought it.” He tapped cruise control and slid his shoe off the accelerator.
An injured fireman with a near-death experience turned private investigator made more sense to her now. Bill didn’t fit the cookie-cutter-investigator type.
They hit smooth asphalt in the cross into Sullivan County. Annalisse relished the soothing hum from the roadway. At the county border, they passed a renovated eighteenth-century church refurbished into a modern brick farmhouse. The original belfry and bell sat atop the gable roof at the midpoint, with a new masonry chimney erected on one side near the redwood decking. She hadn’t noticed it the first time with Woody.
“What a horrible experience for you, Bill. I’m sorry. Alec didn’t mention it.”
“We don’t talk about it much. For a bunch of reasons.” Bill fiddled with a tabloid-size newspaper wedged next to the console. “My hours are better now anyway.” He chuckled, rolling the newsprint into a tube and blowing into it.
“A gossip rag? Haven’t read any juicy dirt in a while. I could use a laugh.” She reached for the paper, expecting him to hand it to her.
“Boring issue.” Bill tossed the roll over the headrest, wiping newsprint from his fingers to the seat.
That was strange.
She tried to grab it, but it landed just out of her reach.
Annalisse unbuckled and twisted for a closer look at the huge headline, reading aloud, “THE HOUND CHASES ANOTHER FOX. Please people. Such original journalism. Who this time?” She laughed as she lunged for the paper.
Bill’s arm moved in like a slingshot and bumped her sore cheek, blocking her.
“Ow. Watch the road,” she exclaimed and bounced backward. “Walking wounded here. Just drive, Bill. Allow me to revel in someone else’s grief for a while.”
He touched her elbow. “Please don’t.”
Bill wasn’t smiling, and his skin had morphed to ashen of the dead. He had the look of a man who’d just lost his best friend and was about to lose his faithful dog too.
It clicked. “What don’t you want me to see what thousands of other people have already seen?”
“Wait till we get to Brookehaven so he can—”
“Who can?” Annalisse hung over the seat and stretched her sore body far enough to snag the tabloid with her fingertips. She braced herself—the photo had to be disturbing.
“The timing is bad. Really bad.” Bill stared at the road and in a low voice added, “I’m so sorry.”
The pang of the unknown boomeranged through her heart, and she looked down at the front page of Reveal Reality.
A couple with their backs to the camera, overlooking an ocean at sunset at some kind of event. She wasn’t sure where but expected the piece would say. The paparazzi photographer had zoomed in on a brunette in a skimpy, backless sundress leaning into a man with his elegant hand cupping her barely covered butt cheek. His chiseled profile and windblown curls were unmistakable.
Say bye-bye to the mysterious, green-eyed Annalisse! Italian starlet Monica Corsetti on Italy’s Riviera with Greek magnate, Alec Zavos of the Signorile Corporation. They were…
She covered her mouth.
“Pull over, Bill. I’m gonna throw up.”
***
Excerpt from Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell. Copyright 2020 by Marlene M. Bell. Reproduced with permission from Marlene M. Bell. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning writer and acclaimed artist as well as a photographer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News, to name a few.
Her catalog venture, Ewephoric, began in 1985 out of her desire to locate personalized sheep stationery. She rarely found sheep products through catalogs and set out to design them herself. Order Ewephoric gifts online or request a catalog at TexasSheep.com.
Marlene and her husband, Gregg, reside in beautiful East Texas on a wooded ranch with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, along with Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats that believe they rule the household—and do.
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
Enter To Win!:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Marlene M. Bell. There will be 4 winners. Two (2) winners will each win one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. Two (2) winners will each win a set of autographed books, a notebook, and silver jewelry. The giveaway begins on August 1, 2020 and runs through September 2, 2020. Open to U.S. and Canada addresses only. Void where prohibited.
Brianne is a somewhat
naïve college freshman. She becomes disillusioned as her professors and peers
challenge many of her long-held beliefs. When she finds a diary that belonged
to a distant relative, she hopes it will offer much needed distraction. And she
is soon drawn into the story of a passionate woman who seems to whisper from
the past.
In 1915’s New York,
idealist and primary teacher Margaret struggles with the problems women face at
home and in society. She is first timid about speaking her mind, but in time
cannot keep her impassioned spirit hidden—not even from the gentleman who
teaches in the classroom next door. His concern for her stretches the limits of
their friendship, pressing into something more. Caught up in the Women’s
Suffrage Movement, she faces down authority figures and others who question her
beliefs.
And so, Brianne is
whisked along on this journey as Margaret joins the fight for women’s rights,
all the while trying to work through her own questions and experiences with
modern feminism.
Before long, things
spin out of control and she wonders where her newfound relationship fits into
everything? Are there any clear answers? Will she land on her feet? Or be
forever lost to herself?
EXCERPT
HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD – Margaret attends a speech/rally
“And they say we cannot gather and not speak of the vote.
What exactly shall be their reasoning for not permitting us the vote? The lack
of education from whence they first deprived us? This, and their own insistence
that we are not knowledgeable about the workings of the government, politics,
and society? And why should we not be? Because we are consigned to the home.”
The crowd murmured in agreement as the speaker continued
driving her points.
Margaret nodded along, lost in the speech.
Voices in the crowd grew more aggressive. And progressively
louder.
Margaret glanced around, her gaze shifting from one side to
the other.
People around pressed in toward the speaker.
Margaret’s heart squeezed. This could not be good. It would
not end well. She scanned the faces nearby. So many. All caught up in emotions
provoked by the speaker’s words.
What would happen? This could not escape the notice of
others. Of those who would oppose…
She swallowed. Hard. Her breaths came rapidly as she thought
about the gathering being moved upon.
Jerking her head from side to side, she spotted an opening
in the bodies around her. She slipped through and moved farther away from the
group.
And once she deemed herself at a safe distance, she took
notice of the onlookers. Their disapproving glares stabbed at her.
Dare she defend the women? The speaker?
Her hands shook. And her heart raced.
She just…couldn’t. So she shrunk back across the street and
watched from an even greater distance.
Moments later, hoof beats clomped on the pavement.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Police swept down upon the gathering. Had they come to break
up the meeting or intimidate?
She didn’t stay to find out. Shrinking farther into the
approaching darkness, she slipped into anonymity.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sara is a coffee lovin’, word slinging, Historical Romance author whose super power is converting caffeine into novels. She loves those odd little tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That’s what inspires her. Well, that and a good love story.
But of all the
love stories she knows, hers is her favorite. She lives happily with her own
Prince Charming and their gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know
how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it
must happen in the wee hours of the morning.
Sara is an avid
reader and enjoys reading and writing clean Historical Romance when she’s not
traveling. Her books range from the Czech lands to the American wild west and
from ancient Egypt to the early 1900s. Some of her titles include The Lady
Bornekova, Hope in Cripple Creek, The General’s Wife, Trail of Fears, and the
Convenient Risk Series.
I was introduced to Virginia King and Selkie Moon through a free Amazon copy of Laying Ghosts. I probably found it through a newsletter. Laying Ghosts is still free at the time I created this post, so I hope you take a moment to introduce yourself. Be sure and check to make sure it is still free.
This is the latest cover, and I do love the blue, but I also like the other cover because it sure looks like Hawaii and I love the location. Which does it for you?
I reviewed the Prequel Laying Ghosts, in the Selkie Moon Series by Virginia King, and when the author saw it, she offered me a review copy of The First Lie. I love the cover, the location, Hawaii, and any kind of water…person, so there was no doubt in mind I had to continue on with the series. I was not disappointed.
Living in a difficult situation in Sydney she heard the call of Hawaii.
Selkie heard a voice, “Someone is trying to kill you.”
And so we begin. Is it real or a figment of her imagination? Is it Pele, warning her? Is she psychic? She’s seen the woman twice. Who is she? What does she want?
With the name Selkie Moon, I felt things would happen differently and The First Lie did not play out like I thought. It seemed a slow pace, but I think that is on me, not Virginia King…or Selkie herself. It takes time for her to work through her issues, her psychological introspection, growing and developing as a character to come into her own, becoming more mature, poised, and confident.
We have Hawaiian mysticism, and I love Hawaii, so this was that little bit extra that I look for in a good book. And, a friend, Wanda, who believes in all of it. Who doesn’t like to learn about the country they are visiting? I sure do. Years ago, Hawaii was #2 on my bucket list. I was so fortunate I was able to cross that off, though I would love to visit it again.
Selkie Moon almost drowned as a child and has a fear of water. The ocean calls to her, but she turns her back on it. Makes me wonder what is to come, if she won’t even get near it, let alone step into it.
Looking back, I appreciate the slow build and details of her life even more, walking in her footsteps and looking through her eyes. My anticipation for the next book, The Second Path, grew after reading the first chapter. I wasn’t going to read it, but seeing the next book is already out, I know there is no wait. And I do want to know what comes next…very much.
At first it felt hard to rate this, bouncing between a 3 and a 4, while reading. After writing this review and seeing the notes I made, I had to go with a 4.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The First Lie by Virginia King.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“A dizzying array of events, mysteries, supernatural intrigue, and action!” – Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviews
Selkie Moon is a woman on the run.
In a mad dash for freedom she’s escaped her abusive husband to start over in Hawaii. But her refuge begins to unravel and she’s running from something else entirely. A voice in a dream says: Someone is trying to kill you. Not that Selkie’s psychic, no way. But the visions escalate until the truth hits her – someone, or something, is stalking her. Entangled in Celtic and Hawaiian mythologies, the mystery becomes so bizarre and terrifying that Selkie’s instinct is to keep running. But is she running from her past or her future? And can she piece together the fragmented clues before time runs out?
The First Lie is a psychological thriller with a mythical twist, peppered with a cast of quirky characters. It’s a story about secrets, about the shadows we don’t know are driving us, from our mythical pasts and our present reality, told with a touch of humour.
Join Selkie Moon on the rollercoaster ride of her life. Rollercoasters make her throw up – but that’s the least of her problems.
ABOUT VIRGINIA KING
When a voice wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you to write a mystery series, what’s a writer to do? That’s how I came to create Selkie Moon, after a massage from a strange woman with gifted hands was followed by this nocturnal message. I sat down at the keyboard until Selkie Moon turned up — a modern woman with a mythical name. Soon I was hooked, exploring far-flung places full of secrets where Selkie delves into psychological clues tangled up in the local mythology.
Before Selkie Moon invaded my life, I’d been a teacher, an unemployed ex-teacher, the author of over 50 children’s books, an audio-book producer, a workshop presenter and a prize-winning publisher. These days I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with my husband, where I disappear each day into Selkie Moon’s latest mystery. Bliss.
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.
Ivy Daniels is a high school junior still learning who she is. After an accident, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out who has this dark secret, or will she fail to find him in time?
Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart.
I’m sure I picked this up because of the cover and title, thinking, ah, something to do with water…and we have secrets. I love books where secrets are exposed. Do you have any secrets?Anything you would like to share? 🙂
Book Title: Legacy of Secrets by Helen Starbuck Category: Adult Fiction, 243 pages Genre: Romantic Suspense Publisher: Routt Street Press Release date: March 2020 Content Rating: R for two explicit sex scenes, bad language, mild violence. Book Description:
Other families pass down their stories, Kate Earnshaw’s family’s secrets disappear from one generation to the next. Kate Earnshaw’s father’s suicide has left many unanswered questions. In handling his estate she wonders if she ever really knew him. He never explained why he let his childhood home in Eastern Colorado fall into ruin or why he’d kept the property a secret. And he never told Kate about his close friendship with Evan Hastings, the handsome and somewhat puzzling man who lives on the property near the abandoned house. Evan seems to have as many secrets as her father and knows more about him than Kate did. But there’s something about Evan that calls her back to her father’s home. Something that threatens to unearth more than the past. Legacy of Secrets explores family secrets, a daughter’s grief and her search for answers, and a chance for love. Buy the Book: Amazon.com ~ Audible Add to Goodreads
Meet the Author:
Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and
award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of
Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries,
suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan
of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman
says, “…stories where women save themselves.”
I am a huge fan of Michael F Stewart and was excited when I got my
hands on Heart Sister, an amazing story that is a perfect example of The
Butterfly Effect in Chaos Theory.
The wonderful cover for Heart Sister definitely fits the story inside.
I love the cover and it definitely relates to the book and means so
much more after reading Heart Sister by Michael F Stewart. Michael speaks from the heart in this fabulous story of a young boy that searches for the people that received his sister’s organs.
The characters are fully developed, richly detailed and I love how
Michael F Stewart shows them growing and changing. Emmitt steals the
show. It’s not awful enough that he lost his sister, but he lost his
twin sister.
The movie that Emmitt is making was a different take on the story
than I expected, but a wonderful way to tell the tale. Anything more,
you will want to learn for yourself.
My heart goes out to him. I love him. He is doing everything for his
mother, to pull her out of her paralyzing depression, but so much
happens and many lives are changed. His sister gave them life, he helps
them live it.
The butterfly effect is an idea that is more
commonly used in chaos theory. it shows that a small change can make
much bigger changes happen; that one small incident can have a big
impact in the future. The ripple in the pond….
I cannot say enough about this novel, which is inspired by Micheal F Stewart’s own life.
Heart Sister has it all…fun and games, grief and misery, laughs and
tears..and the way Michael presented it was heartbreakingly and
heartwarmingly wonderful.
Even though Heart Sister is aimed at middle grade, to me, Michael F
Stewart’s novels are excellent for all ages. He sends a subtle message
that I hear loud and clear.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Heart Sister by Michael F Stewart.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After Emmitt’s twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, his world
goes sideways. He’s lost his best friend and it feels like his family
is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt
soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant
recipients. Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his
sister back together, in spirit. He’s going to track down each organ
recipient and film them to show his parents Minnie’s selfless act and
help them move on. But when each recipient falls short of his
expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his
sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme
measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his “heart sister”
is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the
breaking point.
ABOUT MICHEL F STEWART
Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the
2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award
for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.
He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered
interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his
award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic
novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series.
Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights
are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson
Education.
For adults, Michael has written THE SAND
DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar
sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the
MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban
fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert
government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them
in the next.
Herder of four daughters, Michael lives
to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer
in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit
his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter
@MichaelFStewart.
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
Just feel like tapping my toes, bopping my head and singing along. Their YouTube videos get millions of hits and I can see why.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
LATEST HAPPENINGS
Hello everyone. Here it is, another week gone by and its been the same as the week before. I have been doing some work in the yard, but the heat that I love so much has become my enemy in my ‘golden years’. I seem to overheat easily…and it’s only 90 outside. LOL Do you remember those days, when you could hang on the beach, drink all day, and continue the party inside? Well, I do and it amazes me in hindsight. I still love the heat, I just need to be floating in the pool to appreciate it as much as I used to. 🙂
Hope you had a good week and another comes your way. Take care and stay safe.
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 TBR Total: 2488
Currently Reading
Books Read
Books Added to TBR
Fear of Falling by Roz Marshall was free at time of posting. Check for the “0”
