Something Wicked Emma Dean (University of Morgana: Academy of Enchantments and Witchcraft #1) Publication date: May 2nd 2019 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Reverse Harem, Romance
If she could make it through her first semester without killing anyone…that’d be great.
San Francisco Bay Coven has been torn apart and no one feels this more than Mika Marshall. Kenzie Kavanagh exposed her father and brother’s betrayal.
So Mika is starting at the University of Morgana a semester late and praying to the Fates that she’ll be able to catch up and graduate with her class. But as a witch with an undeclared specialty she’s trying not to bring too much attention to herself.
Because Mika has a secret and if she doesn’t learn to control her powers, people will die.
**This is a slow burn reverse harem academy series. All paranormal books by Emma Dean exist in the same world – the Council of Paranormals.
“Mika!” her sister called up. Claire’s voice echoed in the empty mansion. “Are you ready to go? We’ve got to get you settled today!”
There was so much to take care of…it felt like they’d just barely gotten everything turned in after winter solstice and yule.
Starting in the spring semester…Mika wasn’t looking forward to it.
Instead of responding she grabbed her things and dragged them down the stairs.
Claire grabbed the trunk from her when Mika hit the main floor. Her sister tried to smile. “Don’t worry. You’re going to love the university. It’s like high school, but a thousand times better.”
Mika gritted her teeth together and still didn’t say anything.
She’d hated high school and everything about it. If Selene was a prodigy, then Mika was the most mediocre, average witch to ever attend their high school. She was the same age as Selene and lightyears behind her in magical skill.
It didn’t really matter though in the long run. She’d just barely passed the entrance exams to the University of Morgana. At least she hadn’t completely tarnished her family’s name.
Mika had gotten a perfect score on the theory of magic. It was so unprecedented they’d tested her again with a proctor watching every move she made.
The test had been completely different, and she’d still aced it.
But the practical? Ugh, she didn’t want to think about that. Actual magic had always been meh for her. Lighting a candle took concentration on her part. A three-year-old could do it with barely a thought.
“The door to the university is in the coven building,” Claire explained as they made their way through the foyer. “I’ll go with you, but you’ll have to cross on your own. Someone needs to look after Grandma until she decides to rejoin the land of the living.”
“She’s still alive,” Mika murmured. “That’s more than we can say for our parents and brother.”
“That’s not fair,” Claire snapped, letting the driver open the front door for them. “Dad and Jacob are still alive. They’re just stripped of their powers and shunned.”
Mika popped open her umbrella and glared up at the never-ending rain. Where she was going would be colder, but at least it wouldn’t be raining. “Dad and Jacob are dead to me after what they did to us and Mom. Let’s not pretend we’d ever have them over for dinner.”
Her sister didn’t say anything to that, and Mika didn’t expect her to.
It wasn’t fair on Claire, but she was still so angry. Mika lived that moment over and over and had been all fall and winter. Then sitting at her mother’s side for months and simply watching her waste away…
No matter how much she loved her mother, Mom hadn’t loved them enough to fight and live and…just be around. She’d given up on everything even though Mika had been right there every, single, day.
Claire followed after her to the fancy black car without an umbrella, letting the rain mess with her perfect hair. She let the driver take Mika’s trunk from her and stood there in the rain. Mika knew in that moment she should say sorry, but she was just so angry and bitter and devastated. It would only rip her apart even more to apologize for saying what she felt.
Once everything was loaded up, Claire kissed Mika on the cheek gently and stepped back. “On second thought I should stay with Grandma. Who knows what an empty mansion will do to her. I wish you the best of luck, baby sis. Write home and all that.”
Mika held her sister’s gaze and it was like looking in a broken mirror. They both had the same nearly white-blonde hair that was their family signature, ice blue eyes, and skin so smooth and creamy people often stopped them and asked them what their secret was. Their next question was if they were twins.
Claire was only an inch taller than her, but she had the better tits.
“If you need anything or…” Mika trailed off. She almost couldn’t say it out loud. “If anything else happens, call me. My phone is always on.”
Her sister nodded and Mika got in the car. Claire didn’t slam her door closed, but it was forceful just the same. Mika flinched and regretted those words she couldn’t take back, even if she wanted to.
The last six months had exacerbated everything she’d been hiding for the last three years and now…
It felt like everything she’d shoved down and ignored was all frothing to the surface, ready to boil over and she couldn’t pretend anymore.
Mika didn’t know how to pretend to be happy, or how to be…normal.
What was normal in the witch world anyway?
Kenzie was a void witch after spending most of her life a pariah – an abomination.
And up until she’d announced it to the coven no one had even known void witches existed or what a void was exactly – a witch who didn’t have powers, but could take them. Something the universe had created for balance no doubt. Mika didn’t know the details of a void’s skills, but knowing someone could take her magic…
Things were changing. She just had to get through this and onto the other side.
It would get better. It had to.
“Take me to the coven building, please,” she asked the driver, words barely above a whisper. Speaking out loud always seemed so harsh in the sudden quiet that had befallen her family the moment her mother had fainted in that fateful meeting.
As soon as Mika got settled on campus she would call her sister and apologize. But right now she was still pissed and the only thing that would come of her calling her sister was an argument. Claire didn’t deserve that – not with everything she had to deal with now.
Claire was going to be the next Marshall matriarch, and thank the Fates.
Mika didn’t want it.
She didn’t deserve it.
Author Bio:
Emma Dean is the aspie author of Draga Court and the Council of Paranormals. Juggling work, life, higher education, and a rambunctious toddler leaves little room for much else, but when she gets the chance she dives into a good book and likes to re-read the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop every year during Christmas.
Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer to save their pet shop
Crishell “Shell” McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt’s pet shop, the Purr N’ Bark, and do something she loves.
While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt’s Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell’s aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt’s Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?
EXCERPT
For a second I just stared, and then I raised my arm, took some skin between my thumb and forefinger, and pinched myself hard.
“Ow!” I cried. Well, that settled that. I wasn’t dreaming, or
hallucinating. He was really here, along with a large black suitcase propped up
against my front door.
Gary tripped down my porch steps and ran over to stand in front of
me. “There you are,” he said, waggling his finger. “For a second there, I
thought that guy at the gas station gave me directions to the wrong house.”
I fisted a hand on my hip and shot him a stony stare. “Gary, what
are you doing here?”
His lips drooped down almost immediately into a hangdog expression.
“Gee, thanks a lot. I fly cross-country and drive all this way and that’s the
greeting I get? I told you I was coming, remember?” When I didn’t answer, he
persisted, “I kept asking you what was wrong, and you kept avoiding the issue,
so I said I’d come on out and see for myself.”
I pushed the heel of my hand through my hair. “You did say that,
but I didn’t think you really meant it.”
His arms enveloped me in a gigantic bear hug. “Oh, come on, Shell.
What sort of co-star would I be if I deserted you in your time of need?” He
pulled back a bit to study me. “This is your time of need, right? I mean,
something’s up. I could hear it in your voice.”
“I’m fine, Gary. You didn’t have to uproot your life and come all
the way out here to check on me.”
He spread his arms wide. “Hey, you decided to uproot your life and
change careers. I guess that dark store in town with the re-opening sign on it
is yours?”
“You guess right. I’d hoped to be getting the store and its stock
ready for a grand re-opening, but instead …”
“Yeah, I know.” He reached out and give my hand a squeeze. “That’s
why you could use my help. After all, right now I’ve got nothing else to do,
other than sign up for unemployment.”
The note of disappointment in his tone was unmistakable. “What
happened? They didn’t go for the reboot?”
“To quote the producers exactly, ‘That show just isn’t worth spit
without Shell Marlowe.’ Or similar words to that effect.”
I remembered Max’s words and a pang of guilt arrowed through me.
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“Yeah, well, it seems they were gearing the show more toward the
male audience, and not the action end of it, if you get my meaning.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Then I’m glad I turned it down, although I’m
sorry it didn’t work out for you. You’ll get something else, Gary, but only if
you go back to L.A. and start auditioning.”
“I’m not so sure.” He plopped down on my bottom step and cupped his
chin in one hand. “I had a lot of time to think on the plane ride out here.
Series tv is getting to be a rat race, and I’m not as young as I used to be.
Maybe I should try something different, maybe Broadway, or Off Broadway.”
I laughed. “You’re considering a play? I thought you always said
theater was for people who couldn’t make it in Hollywood.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, maybe I’ve
had a change of heart. Look, I didn’t come all the way out here to talk about
me. What’s going on with you, Shell?”
I looked down at the ground. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, yes, you do.” He leaned over so that his nose was only about
an inch away from mine. “I could hear it in your voice when we spoke on the
phone. You sounded just like you did when Pat left you.”
I raised my gaze to his and thrust my jaw out. “I most certainly
did not. And I left Patrick, no matter what he told you.”
“Whatever.” Gary folded his arms over his chest and stood, one foot
tapping impatiently on the concrete. “Are you going to tell me what’s up with
you, or not?”
I folded my own arms over my chest. “Not.”
“Okay, then, I suppose I’ll have to guess.” He put a finger to his
lips, closed his eyes, and then popped them wide open. “Aha, I have it.” He
pointed his finger dramatically in the air. “You must be the actress they
suspect of murdering the local termagant.”
“Wow, is that a fifty-dollar word or what? I’m impressed. And just
where did you hear this juicy bit of news?”
He grinned. “It’s the main topic of conversation at the gas station
out on the highway. It’s a veritable hotbed of local gossip.” His expression
sobered and he reached out and gripped my hand. “Is it true?”
“Is what true? That I murdered the local termagant or that I’m
suspected of doing so?”
“Very funny.”
He looked so upset that I sighed. “Yes, it’s true. That I’m on the
suspect list, not that I did the deed—although I had a public argument with the
woman the day before her death.”
Gary let out a low whistle. “Sounds like you could use a friend.” I
glanced over at his suitcase, and he added, “If it’s inconvenient, I can always
find a hotel near here. I’m not leaving, Shell.”
My expression softened. “I know you’re not, and it’s not
inconvenient. Come on, grab your suitcase. I’ll make you a cup of java and fill
you in.”
∞
I showed Gary to one of the guest bedrooms and left him to
unpack and freshen up. I went into the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of
coffee, then pulled out the wheels of cheddar and Brie I’d purchased at the
General Store along with some crackers, arranged them on a tray, and set it on
the table. I’d just poured us each a steaming mug when Gary reappeared. His
hair was damp from a quick shower, and he’d changed into comfortable
sweatpants. He eased himself into one of the chairs and sniffed the air.
“Um, what’s that, Kahlua-flavored coffee? You wouldn’t happen to
have the real thing to add to it, would you? I didn’t drink on the plane, and
I’m overdue.”
Gary had an aversion to air travel, so the mere fact he’d stepped
on a plane to come to my aid was quite something, indeed. I opened one of the
bottom cabinets and pulled out a bottle of Kahlua. I added a generous amount to
both our mugs and then sat down across from him, my hands wrapped around my
mug. We sat for a few minutes, sipping in silence, and then Gary set down his
mug.
“Care to fill me in on what’s going down here now? What was that
public argument about that’s got you on the suspect list?”
I explained all about the museum board vote and the supposed feud
between Amelia and my aunt that I believed to be behind Amelia’s crusade. I
also recounted my meetings with the other three board members and Garrett
Knute. Gary listened intently and when I’d finished, ran his finger around the
rim of his cup.
“Sounds to me like you might have painted a target on yourself,” he
said grimly.
I bit down on my lower lip. “Funny. Josh hinted at pretty much the
same thing.”
Gary’s eyes widened a bit. “Josh?”
Heat seared my cheeks and I ducked my head. “Detective Bloodgood.
He’s investigating the murder.”
“I see. And are you often on a first-name basis with detectives
investigating you for murder?”
“We’d met briefly before all this mess. His sister’s dog ran into
me in the park. I had no idea he was a detective.”
“Of course not.” He let out a low chuckle. “And what does this
Detective Bloodgood look like? I’m betting he’s not paunchy with gray hair,
like most of the detectives on tv.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No, he’s not.”
“So?” Gary persisted as I remained silent. “Is he as good-looking
as me?”
I made a face at him. “No one’s as good-looking as you, Gary,
except maybe Hugh Jackman. I’ve already had to assure some of the local women
that marvelous head of hair is all yours.”
He reached up to give his hair a swift pat and laughed. “Nice try
at a diversion, but I’m still interested in a description of your Detective
Bloodgood.”
“He’s not my Detective Bloodgood,” I protested. “Besides, I have a
new man in my life.”
Gary almost dropped his mug. “You do?”
“Absolutely. I was worried he and Kahlua might not get along, but
they seem to have effected a truce.”
Gary’s brows drew together. “Kahlua? Your cat? Why wouldn’t he get
along with your cat? Is he allergic?”
“No, far from it.”
I lapsed into silence, and Gary’s frown deepened. “So, details
Shell. What does this fellow look like?”
I put my finger to my lips. “He’s very hairy,” I said at last.
Gary gave me a puzzled stare. “He’s hairy? You hate facial
hair … or was that just so I’d shave the beard I grew for season six?”
“You look better clean shaven anyway. I did you and all your female
fans a favor.” I inclined my head toward the doorway. “Here he is now. Come
here, Purrday, and say hello to Gary. He’s going to be staying with us awhile.”
Purrday glided into the kitchen and hopped up on the vacant chair
next to Gary. He cocked his head to one side and blinked at him. “Merow.”
Gary stared at Purrday and then burst into laughter. “Oho, another
cat, eh?”
“He belonged to Aunt Tillie. I couldn’t turn him away.”
Gary bounced both eyebrows at me. “Just be careful this doesn’t
start a trend, Shell. I’d hate to see you become the neighborhood crazy cat
lady.” He reached out his hand. Purrday sniffed at the tips of his fingers,
then his pink tongue darted out and gave them a quick lick. “Friendly fellow.
Lots friendlier than Kahlua. She usually hisses at me.”
“She doesn’t like your cologne. You’ve got Purrday’s stamp of
approval, at least.”
Gary selected a piece of cheddar and started to put it on a cracker
when the cheese slid from his fingers and landed—plop!—on the floor. Purrday eyed the cheese, then cocked his head
at Gary.
“Okay if I let him have it? It fell on the floor.”
“Go ahead, but you’d better practice your whoops, I knocked it on the floor routine. For such a good actor,
that was beneath you.”
Gary’s eyes widened. “Shell! I’m shocked! You think I did that on
purpose?”
I laughed right at him. “I know you did. You would never drop a
piece of anything edible on the floor.”
He raised both hands. “Okay, I’m guilty. But Purrday appreciates
it, don’t you, boy?”
Purrday didn’t answer. He’d already snatched the bit of cheddar in
his paws and was nibbling happily at it.
Gary turned back to me. “Well, now that I’ve met the main man in
your life, let’s get back to number two. Your detective.”
“Let’s not and say we did.” I rose and walked over to the cabinet
and pulled out the bottle of Kahlua. “Refill?”
He held out his mug. “Sure. And don’t bother with the coffee this
time.”
Once I’d refilled both mugs with Kahlua we adjourned to the parlor,
leaving Purrday happily noshing on his cheese. Feline Kahlua was stretched out
across the top of the loveseat. She lifted her head, took one look at Gary, let
out a loud hiss, and promptly vanished up the stairs.
“Great to see you again too,” Gary called after her retreating
form. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Some things never change.” He plopped
down on the brocaded sofa and I sat on the loveseat across from him. “Let’s
think of this logically,” he said. “You said most of the people in Fox Hollow
hated this woman, Amelia?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Okay.” He leaned back against the sofa cushions, his eyes slitted
in thought. “First things first. Who might have hated her enough to do her in?”
“Well, there are the aforementioned board members: Larry Peabody,
Andy McHardy, and Ginnifer Rubin. And Garrett Knute is hiding something as
well. I heard him say, ‘over my dead body.’ And Amelia was determined he
shouldn’t get his hands on that envelope.”
“Hm.” Gary laced his hands behind his neck. “That definitely piques
my interest. Anyone else?”
“I saw Amelia arguing with a woman in the park. Olivia thinks it
might have been Londra Lewis, who works at the museum as the administrator.
Amelia disliked her because of her loyalty to the museum director, Mazie
Madison.” I tapped the edge of my mug. “Olivia said that Mazie was no angel
when it came to Amelia either. Then there’s the mayor.”
“Oho, the mayor, eh?” Gary bounced his eyebrows. “You just can’t
trust those public officials.”
“It might be nothing, but Amelia might have something on one or
both of the mayor’s kids, I’m not sure. And Garrett Knute mentioned this guy,
Melvin Feller, but so far I haven’t been able to make a concrete connection
between him and Amelia. And Garrett said half the town hated the woman, so who
knows who else might have a motive.” I paused. “Then there’s the editor of the
town paper, Quentin Watson. He’s a smarmy little weasel who’s already printed
two less-than-flattering snippets about me in his paper because I wouldn’t give
him an interview. Lord knows what his relationship with
Amelia was.”
“Well, there doesn’t appear to be a dearth of suspects,” Gary said
wryly. “And the reason you’re at the top is …?”
“I’m not even sure I’m at the top. Josh—I mean, Detective
Bloodgood—told me I was a person of interest, primarily because I argued with
the deceased in public.”
Gary gave a short laugh. “Well, person of interest is better than
suspect, if you ask me. Now, what we have to do is systematically go through all
of those people and determine which of them had the best motive for wanting
Amelia dead.”
“No doubt J—the detective is doing that already.”
Gary shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe not. In any case, our considering
it can’t hurt, right? I mean, after all, the sooner this gets cleared up, the
sooner you can open up your little store.”
Purrday ambled into the parlor just then, batting the button
between his paws. I reached down to retrieve it.
“It looks like one of Aunt Matilda’s buttons. Where he got it from
is a mystery.”
“It probably just fell off something. You know cats. They can be
real scavengers. Remember when Kahlua had a stash of all your rhinestone pins?”
I started to reply when the doorbell rang. I excused myself and
went to answer it, and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Josh on my front
stoop. His lips were slashed into a straight line, and he had his cop face on.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked. “Something’s turned up, and I need
to speak to you about it.”
I pushed the door wide and motioned for him to enter. As he stepped
into the foyer, Gary emerged from the parlor. The two men started then stood
and stared at each other.
I cleared my throat. “Detective Josh
Bloodgood, may I introduce my former co-star—”
Josh waved his hand. “I know who he is.” He turned back to Gary.
“Gary Presser, right? Or should I say Douglas Doolittle?”
Gary beamed and held out his hand. “Ah, you’ve watched our show?”
“When my schedule permitted.”
Josh took Gary’s hand and Gary pumped it up and down. “Always happy
to meet a fan. I take it you’re Josh the detective?”
“That would be me.” He released Gary’s hand and shoved his deep
into the pockets of the light khaki jacket he wore. “It might be best,” he
said, with a meaningful look at me, “if we discussed my news in private.”
“Not necessary,” Gary said breezily. He stepped right up to me and
slipped one arm around my shoulders in a protective gesture. “I came out here
to Fox Hollow to help Shell, so …” He paused and looked expectantly at me.
I sighed and turned to Josh. “Anything you have to say you can say
in front of Gary. It won’t go any further.”
Josh frowned. “Okay, then,” he said at last. He reached into the
inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small plastic bag, in which rested
a slip of paper. “My men did a thorough sweep of the murder scene, and we found
this under the desk near the body.”
He held the baggie out to me. I took it. Inside was a note printed
in block letters:
I’VE DISCOVERED YOUR LITTLE SECRET. UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO
EXPOSE YOU, I SUGGEST WE TALK.
“S”
I read the note twice and then looked at Josh, puzzled. “I’m sorry.
I don’t get it.”
His gaze bored into mine. “Did you write that?”
I took a couple of deep breaths before I answered. “Absolutely not.
For one thing, I don’t print that neatly, and I’ve never seen this before in my
life.”
He turned the bag over in his hand. “Then you weren’t planning to
expose Amelia? The purpose of that meeting wasn’t blackmail?”
I stared at him, shocked, and drew myself up to my full height.
“Definitely not,” I snapped. “I would never blackmail anyone in my life.
Besides, I don’t know anything I could have blackmailed her with.”
“That’s true,” Gary interjected. “Shell is one of the most honest
people I know.”
I gestured toward the note. “Evidently someone wanted you to think
otherwise.”
Josh scratched absently at his jaw. “We dusted it for prints, and
the only ones we found were Amelia’s. Obviously, whoever wrote it must have
worn gloves.”
“What in the world could I have been going to expose about her?” I
asked. “I didn’t know the woman.”
“Well, you were going around asking people if they were being
blackmailed by her,” put in Josh. “And you accused Garrett Knute of having a
secret.”
“That’s true, but they’re legitimate concerns,” I declared.
“Well, it seems pretty obvious to me,” said Gary. Josh and I both
turned toward him.
“What does?” asked Josh.
Gary spread his hands. “This murder was no accident. Someone
planned it out carefully, and decided to use Shell as a scapegoat. Think about
it. The photograph Shell gave her was clutched in her cold, dead hand plus this
note, conveniently signed by “S”?” He jabbed his finger at Josh’s face. “And
your job, my friend, is to find out who would do such a thing.”
“I agree,” Josh said grimly. He turned to me. “For what it’s worth,
Shell, I don’t think you killed Amelia. But it sure does look as if someone
wants us to think you might have.”
I shuddered. The thought that someone might deliberately have set
me up as a murderer was not an appealing one. “If I could take back speaking to
those people, I would, in a heartbeat. But I can’t. What happens now?”
“What happens is you keep your mouth shut and keep a low profile
while I work on finding out just who did kill Amelia,” Josh said softly. He
looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead just nodded curtly to both Gary
and me and then turned and exited out my front door.
I set my lips. Now I was more determined than ever to do some
digging on my own. Someone had used me to get Amelia alone at the museum and
kill her. Someone had planned it with malice aforethought, and I was betting it
was someone I’d met, someone I’d spoken with.
I wouldn’t feel safe until I found out who.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
While Toni Lotempio
does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble
doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when
she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The
Secret in the Old Attic. She and her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery
series from Berkley Prime Crime and the Cat Rescue series from Crooked
Lane. Her latest, the Pet Shop Mysteries, makes its debut August 8 with
The Time for Murder is Meow.
This is one of those books that a romance between the two main characters cannot be, yet there is something there…something between them…and I am sticking with the Frank Renzi series until I find out how Susan Fleet is going to end it.
Susan Fleet supplies plenty of action. Natalie is a thief, but if she has to, she will kill to save herself. She finds herself in the UK, forced to be a call girl, a whore, a thief, stealing paintings for her lover to sell. How in the hell did she ever get herself into this situation? And how is she going to get out?
Frank Renzi has his own life, and it has made it a full one, but there is still Natalie.
Natalie’s rough life does not excuse what she does, but I do feel for her. i understand her motivation. Even making a bad choice can be better than letting someone make the choice for you.
Will she run forever? Will she ever be able to stop running?
The ending was a surprise and I loved it!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Natalie’s Art by Susan Fleet.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
ART HEISTS, MURDER and REVENGE! In 1990 two robbers stole paintings worth $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Twenty years later, a ruthless man plans to steal several more. He forces Natalie to help him, but after the heist he intends to kill her. Not only that, NOPD Detective Frank Renzi is hot on her trail. Will Natalie escape? Don’t miss the explosive showdown between Frank and Natalie. Feathered Quill Book Awards named Natalie’s Revenge Best Mystery of 2014. Natalie’s Art is the thrilling sequel
ABOUT SUSAN FLEET
Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.
After
gigging on trumpet in the Boston area for many years (while teaching at
Brown University and Berklee College of Music), I moved to New Orleans,
which became the setting for my crime thrillers. Scroll down and check
the video trailers for DIVA and ABSOLUTION.
I survived Katrina, but moved back to Boston in 2010. On my website I post profiles of women musicians and just began a blog, DARK DEEDS, about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Please come visit!!
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.
The books I have been sharing for the Backlog post are from the documents on my Kindle. I am trying to read through them so I can delete them. Some have been hanging around for a very long time, others not so much.
This week, I’m sharing Lynda Filler’s Code Raven: Prequel, a thriller novella. Love that cover…and whenever I see a crow it gets my mind working…something evil this way comes.
I don’t know when I downloaded it or where I got it from, but the Code Raven: Prequel was released 7.16.18.
The Code Raven: Prequel is a wild and amazing introduction to a thrilling series and I found the characters to be unique, fascinating, and highly skilled.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The world’s most elusive billionaire. A brain trust that cannot be controlled. A warrior and a patriot. After
the brutal murder of Luke Raven’s wife and seven-year-old daughter,
Luke disappears for several months. When he returns, get ready for the
non-stop action of Luke, Luci, Zach, RB, Maggs, and a cast of
unforgettable characters who form the Raven Group. Discover the
secretive life of billionaire Luke Raven, how he made his fortunes, and
where his true loyalties lie. The Code Raven Series is a page-turner, an action-packed adventure. This is where it all began.
“The author’s style is reminiscent of CLIVE CUSSLER, LEE CHILDS or BALDACCI.” N. Huff
When
itinerant ranch hand Buck Ellison took a job with Sarah Watkins at her
ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska, he thought he had found the place
where he could park his pickup, leave the past behind, and never move
again.
On
a rainy July night, a dead body at the south end of Sarah’s ranch
forces him to become a reluctant detective, digging into the business of
cattle breeding for rodeos and digging up events from his past that are
linked to the circumstances surrounding the murder of Sam Danielson.
Working
with his boss Sarah, her nephew Travis Martin, and the cook Diane
Gibbons, Buck unmasks the murderer, but at the cost of learning the
reality of past events that he chooses to keep to himself.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery, Amateur Sleuth Published by: Down and Out Books Publication Date: April 27, 2019 Number of Pages: 216 ISBN: 1643960121 (978-1643960128) Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Down & Out Books
Author Bio:
WARREN EMBREE and his wife grew up in the Sandhills of Nebraska. He did both farm work and ranch work during those years, and he still keeps track of what goes on in the hills. After leaving the area, he pursued an academic career in English, Classical Languages, and Divinity. He lectured at a couple of institutions and preached at a few churches, and he now works in Lincoln as a data analyst for the University of Nebraska. His knowledge and love of the unique culture of the Sandhills, his education in languages and literature, and his analytical skills contribute to his story telling. He and his wife currently live in Nebraska and have 3 grown children.
This cover for Whispered Pain by Ashley Fontainne is different from the one on Amazon, which you can see below. I love them both, but I think this one is my favorite. I won this some time ago and read it back in 2015.
Ashley does a lot of covers herself and I believe this is one of them.
Ashley Fontainne is an award winning author and I have read a lot of her books. I won this back in 2015 and shame on me for waiting so long to share such a fabulous story.
A snow storm…don’t ya just love a story that starts out like that. Bad things happen during storms in novels. LOL Ya know, like when the town rolls up the sidewalks like it’s the end of the world, telling all to go home and stay there. Ashley Fontainne has a way with words and her writing brings the scenes to life in vivid detail, making me feel as if I am there.
She adds the details to her characters personalities that bring them to life, adding those bits and pieces that make you feel empathy, fear, and the need to save them. I feel like I walk in their world, wearing their shoes.
The devastation caused by the death of Angie’s sister ruined her family, created a distance from everyone. Death, a loss so deep they can’t recover.
I knew from the first sentence that Whispered Pain would be another awesome read. I had a feeling I knew what was coming and as the horror comes full on to Angie, my suspicions are confirmed. I can’t help but smile with wicked glee in anticipation. Ashley Fontainne can take me to the lowest low, a despair so deep I don’t have the strength to fight it…Until…a spark ignites, a fire of determination, a rage that comes to life, as if it is a physical thing. I raged with her.
WTF Who died and made these men God?
The plot is filled with twists and turns that kept a smile on my face as if it was a present to open through Ashley Fontainne’s words. I love that she brought the story full circle.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
A freak winter storm threatens to destroy the lives of Angie and Drake
Benson, who are expecting their first child. A terrible accident on the
way to the hospital is just the beginning of their nightmare.
The
frigid wind and snow uncovers deep, dark secrets between husband and
wife. Dangerous, painful lies they kept hidden from each other are
strong enough to tear their relationship apart forever. When the truth
is exposed, will their marriage survive?
ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)
Award-winning and
International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of
mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her
youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse
the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within
us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the
Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre
Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write
her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy.
With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a
person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous
acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero
Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge
has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How
far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries
answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller
entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world
of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in
fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards
contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller
entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book
Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film
entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve
into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel,
Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty
Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with
Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder
mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book,
Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
Sue Coletta blew my mind with her Mayhem series, so when I got the chance to continue with the Grafton County series, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to do it.
Pre-order price is 99 cents and will be delivered to your Kindle on 8.7.19.
1…2…3…4…5…missing boys…and it’s all downhill from here. How bad will it get? Knowing Sue Coletta…much, much worse.
Sage is a crime writer and wife of the Grafton County Sheriff, Niko Quintano. She writes the Grafton County Series. A coincidence? lol She hadn’t planned on meeting one of the mothers of the missing boys, but once she asked for help, she couldn’t deny her.
Sue Coletta’s writing is so descriptive I can picture some of the scenes that really stick in my mind. One of them is when Noah reaches out to his Daddy wanting to be picked up. Reaching out, opening and closing his hands when he speaks in that little baby voice.
And their fur babies…oh man, do I love them too. Ruger is super intelligent and immediately suspicious of the stuffed moose that Noah brought home with him from the grocery store.
Ruger and Colt are their fur babies, each with their own distinct personalities. I love when dogs are incorporated into the story so seamlessly, having pivotal roles to play. Beware, because they will fight to the death to protect their humans.
Poor Niko, having to deal with Frankie, his deputy, who is bordering on the line of insubordination, and Sage, his wife, who is reckless and fearless, going off half cocked investigating on her own.
A very sad and tragic story of a young boy’s life.
The taste of the supernatural is so sad, yet hopeful at the same time. Even bad people can have good inside them…don’t you think?
A ghost. Why would it choose her to talk to, to appear to her? Does Sage have something special about her? Her love for her humans and fur babies are evident in everything she does.
The only thing that really bugged me is…why didn’t Sage share her suspicions with Frankie. But maybe she would have been too prepared for what Sue had in mind. And I do love where she took it.
The moments with Noah and the fur babies are terrifying and adorable.
Tears and laughter abound. Sue Coletta gave me a happy ending, and set the hook for what comes next.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Racked by Sue Coletta.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
It starts with an innocent stuffed animal. It ends in mind-numbing terror.
Five
missing boys and an adult corpse found in the town’s water shed was
only the beginning for Sage and Niko Quintano. After a hooded-stranger
gives their son, Noah, a stuffed animal—the exact Christmas moose given
to all the missing boys days before their abductions—their lives spiral
downward into uncertainty.
Could Noah be the next boy to go missing?
As
they piece together each cryptic clue, the future looks more and more
grim. But what they soon discover blows everyone’s mind, the truth
teetering on the unfathomable.
What does it all mean, and where do they go from here?
ABOUT SUE COLETTA
ABOUT SUE COLETTA Member of Mystery Writers of
America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Sue
Coletta is an award-winning, multi-published author in numerous
anthologies and her forensics articles have appeared in InSinC
Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime resource blog, Sue co-hosts
the radio show “Partners In Crime” on Writestream Radio Network every
third Tuesday of the month from 1 – 3 p.m. EDT/EST (see details at www.suecoletta.com).
She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project
and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter. She runs a
popular crime website and blog, where she shares crime tips, police
jargon, the mind of serial killers, and anything and everything in
between. If you search her achieves, you’ll find posts from guests that
work in law enforcement, forensics, coroner, undercover operatives,
firearm experts…crime, crime, and more crime. For readers, she has the
Crime Lover’s Lounge, where subscribers will be the first to know
about free giveaways, contests, and have inside access to deleted
scenes. As an added bonus, members get to play in the lounge. Your
secret code will unlock the virtual door. Inside, like-minded folks
discuss their favorite crime novels, solve mindbender and mystery
puzzles, and/or relax and chat. Most importantly, everyone has a lot of
fun. Sue lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband, where her
house is surrounded by wildlife…bear, moose, deer, even mountain lions
have been spotted. Course, Sue would love to snuggle with them, but
her husband frowns on the idea.
BDSM/AP lifestyler Breanna Hayse strives to give her readers truth and
reality of the BDSM/Age-Play/Total Power and Erotic Exchange lifestyle.
Who am I?
I’m a native Californian gone ‘wild’, and had the opportunity to travel
the globe and discover the world through the eyes of both a Marine
Intelligence specialist and a BDSM lifestyler. I left the service to
go into hospice nursing and grief counseling, eventually working as a
marriage and family therapist for those involved in alternative
lifestyle development. This experience has allowed me to gain unique
inspiration for my books and offer realistic plots and relatable
characters.
In 2004, my husband, John, and I joined forces to work with both
submissives and dominants- teaching, training, listening and loving.
Our goal was to take the mystery and fear out of the lifestyle and
mentor people in safe, consensual and healthy relationships.
My first book, The Game Plan, was published in 2012 and opened the door
to the now-booming world of Age-Play literature. Since that time,
I’ve devoted my ‘spare’ time to writing, researching, community
involvement, and private and group pro bono counseling in deviant
behavior, alternative lifestyle, and addiction recovery.
I was formally ‘dungeon trained’ as a Domme before discovering my
submissive side when I joined the service. My scenarios are pulled
primarily from either personal experience or observation, including
spending time in BDSM clubs as the safety/medical officer. My
multi-faceted background allows me to glean from many avenues and
give a unique and intelligent literary experience through elements of
fantasy and fiction. I also discuss the questions and psychology of
the lifestyle in a manner that is fun and informative, and based on
‘the real deal.’
I live with my husband, musician, and fellow-author, John Hayse, and
two border collies in southern California. We practice a 24/7 D&S
relationship with speckles of AP (and many trips to Build-A-Bear),
and happily spend every moment together that we can. My hobbies
include my puppies, hiding my vanilla salt-water taffy where John
can’t find it, exotic art, collecting inspirational trinkets, and
developing my own paddle line. You can also see me as a featured
author/instructor in professional conference settings and as a
Sexpert for kinkyliterature.com.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
LATEST HAPPENINGS
Hello fellow bloggers. I hope you have all had a great week, filled with family, fun and a lot of great books. I keep meaning to catch a baseball game and was bummed that I missed a visit by the Clydesdales at the Pensacola Wahoos Friday. Mr Wonderful captured some fun photos, though. I can always count on him. Myself, I’ve been doing some reading, blogging, and movie watching. I’ve also been piddlding in the yard, one of my favorite things to do. Still can’t do too much with my bum wing, but I can do some cleanup and enjoy the pool. We sure do need some rain. How about you?
In Pensacola Florida, on 12th Street, we have a bridge that is known as Grafitti Bridge. People paint all kinds of things on it, without getting into any trouble. In honor of Shark Week, an artist added this fabulous painting and I love that noone painted over it.
