Giveaway – The Mer Chronicles by Errin M Stevens @errinstevens @SDSXXTours

Posted on January 17, 2018 by fundinmental

Updrift

The Mer Chronicles Book 1

by Errin M. Stevens

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Since her father died, Kate Sweeting’s home life has been in the pits,
her well-being on life support. Her future looks desolate until she
and her mother, Cara, make another plan: abandon their shriveled
existence for more promising prospects on the coast, where Cara can
play small-town librarian-bachelorette and Kate can figure out what’s
up with that secretive Blake family from the beach.

Everyone is eerily captivated with Kate and her mother, and Cara is the first
to figure out why when the man of her dreams arrives all dripping and
devoted and closed-mouthed about what he intends. Kate is willing to
go along with their subterfuge for a while, but eventually makes a
charge for the water to learn what her mother is hiding. Gabe Blake
is there waiting for her…and so is someone considerably less
friendly. By the time Kate navigates her way home, everything will
have changed for her—what she feels, what she wants, and what
she’ll risk to be with the man she loves.

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Breakwater

The Mer Chronicles Book 2

The sirens of Griffins Bay are in trouble, and the recent slew of royal
suicides looks to be the least of their worries.

For one, unless a blood relative of the queen shows up, no one’s around
to staff the monarchy. Well, except for a whack-job bureaucrat and he
seriously won’t do. Worse is the community unrest threatening siren
society, a problem caused by too many humans in the pool, which means
Simon and his off-limit girlfriend will have to run and hide if they
want to make more of their flirtation…

The solution doesn’t inspire confidence at first, but the Blakes have
everything at hand to set their world to rights – namely, a hidden
queen, a dead prince, and a facility for human manipulation. Once
they find their sea legs, they’ll restore order, distribute smart
phones, and drive that conniving bureaucrat to a grisly, satisfying
end.

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Errin Stevens writes paranormal fiction and reads practically everything
she can get her hands on. She’s currently working through the Time
100 with all her rabid reader buddies at Carpe Librum, and will think
about posting reviews if she can get to it… Her first novel,
Updrift, debuted Nov. 2015; and the sequel, Breakwater, released Nov.
2016.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest * Amazon * Goodreads

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It’s a Fishy Business – Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by P M Terrell @pmterrell

Posted on January 16, 2018 by fundinmental

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I am happy to be back with Vicki and Dylan in another exciting and dangerous adventure. I look forward to playing with the fishes and dodging bullets.

Due to Laurel’s death, the house and fish business…and the cover up…have become Vicki’s responsibility, but first, she needs to get through the wake.

The fish business is her cover. She’s really a remote viewer working for the CIA. Her job in this adventure, locate Brenda Carnegie, who is involved in an oil scam and some members of Congress are too. As she runs, they chase.

My question right now…where is Dylan? He broke Vicki’s heart. Will he return? Oh, come on, we all know he’s on his way back right now. LOL I am not going to tell you why he is absent, you will need to read the story to find out for yourself.

Since he’s been gone, she has asked her boss and pseudo father, Sam, to help her locate her lost siblings. I can see this coming together and I foresee many issues that will have to be explained.

It does make me wonder if we have a rogue element in the CIA and if there is more danger than I initially thought. I feel the clock is ticking and Vicki isn’t the only one running out of time. And romance…it is hot and heavy, but I have a feeling there will be a bump in the road that might turn into a crater she will fall into.

The plot is becoming more and more complicated, the pace is picking up as my need to know how this will end reaches an almost frantic level, gotta know, reading faster and faster, and I do so want a happy ever after ending…but how can that happen?

Lies, betrayal, corruption and greed. Action ratcheting up to a nail biting level as they fight for their lives. And then…

Assignment over…On to the next one.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by P M Terrell.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dylan Maguire is back in his first assignment with the CIA: to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. When she escapes again, it’s obvious she had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. With Vicki Boyd’s help, she’s back in his custody and now he’s on a mission to find out why some in the highest levels of government want her killed while others will risk everything to help her. And when he finds out her true identity, his mission has just become very personal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary suspense.

She has been a full-time author since 2002. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. The Tempest Murders was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category.

Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. She is also the founder of The Novel Business, mentoring authors in the business end and selling of books.

She sits on the board of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library. She has also served on the boards of Robeson County Arts Council, Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

MY REVIEWS FOR P M TERRELL

The following books are lined up in order, first to last. I will be reviewing them all.

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Monday Mini – Surgical by Geoffrey Germann #GeoffreyGermann

Posted on January 15, 2018 by fundinmental

I had reviewed the first book, Prepare, in this superhero series and loved it (see it here), so when Geoffrey Germann sent me Surgical, Book II, I was eager to read more about the superhero, Darren Kiel.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Terror from the opening pages.

Darren Kiel is a vigilante, a super hero. Who doesn’t love someone who works undercover saving those unable to save themselves, never needing or wanting credit or acknowledgement?

Darren is an introvert and has been alone for so long, he is craving interaction with another human. He works in disguise so only has fleeting contact and can never let anyone know who he really is. After 200 days a man could lose his mind.

Until…

He becomes part of a superhero, scifi team: Darren has the suit, Faye has the cloak, Walter is the brains and the means, Brigham is the gopher, and Ives is the techie, the inventor. The characters are unique individuals, well developed, flaws and all. I would love to be a part of their team.

It makes me wonder what super heroes are lurking in our world, invisible to us. Could it be your next door neighbor?

The technology is very realistic and who knows what the government keeps secret from us. Maybe some of it is being used today?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Surgical by Geoffrey Germann.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The leader of a lynchpin Eastern Bloc nation has been increasingly erratic, belligerent, destabilizing the entire region. On the cusp of reversing the personal campaign that is destined to bring war, he is assassinated. His death comes with no warning, draws no blood, and leaves no trace; a puppet with its strings cut.

A new assassin, a new terrorist, can kill anyone, anywhere, anytime. He is undetectable, untraceable, unstoppable. He will bring governments, nations, and continents to their knees one leader at a time.

His next target is Walter Rocaena.

To fight this enemy Walter will need extraordinary help, but he hasn’t seen Darren Kiel in over a year. Can Walter find him in time and, even if he does, how can anyone stop an assassin that can kill with a thought without ever being near the target?

Even if it is possible, can they do it before civilization itself unravels?

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One Sentence Review – The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow @Frankie_Bow

Posted on January 13, 2018 by fundinmental

Anyone up for a cozy mystery? Watch out for The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow.

I love this fun cover and couldn’t say no to it.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow had some good writing and interesting characters, but I wanted more of the mystery and what saved the story for me is that I didn’t guess the ending, which is a huge plus for me, a very good thing.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow.

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Professor Molly Barda investigates a mysterious paddling accident near Hawaii’s Mahina State University, and realizes it isn’t just business majors who cheat to get what they want. Whether it’s moving up in the college rankings, getting a seat in the big canoe race, or just looking out for themselves, some people will do whatever it takes-including murder.

My Black Thumb Review

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Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set @_TerriBruce

Posted on January 12, 2018 by fundinmental

Myths and Magic has16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

With there being 16 stories by 16 authors, it will take me some time to work my way through them all, so I wanted to give you a taste of what is in store for you.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW FOR IRENE BY TERRI BRUCE

Irene and the Witch – Afterlife Book 3.5

Irene is dead, stuck in Purgatory, trying to return to Earth as a guardian angel.

Her traveling companion, Andras, is a 12th century Spanish knight, dead since 1911. Most of the time he is invisible. It takes tremendous effort for him to appear in ghostly form. Makes me think of when Bobby was a ghost in the Supernatural TV show.

They have a psychic link.

Are there things worse than death? You betcha.

Ya want to know what it’s like being in a crystal ball? Ask Irene. Even dead, her impatient recklessness has her in trouble.

Can a ghost burn, feel pain, be tortured, die again?

Irene worked through her fear, knowing they would all die if she didn’t persevere, push through, overcome.

I have been loving this series ever since I read Hereafter. I knew it would be a different kind of ghost story and Terri Bruce’s imagination and creativity have taken me into a world both wondrous and frightening, and I am so happy I am only here as a visitor.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Irene, which is included in the Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set. I will be reviewing more of the books, so keep in touch and we’ll talk more.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

There is adventure out there … if you’re brave enough to risk it.

Explore worlds of darkness, danger, and magic in sixteen exclusive fantasy and science fiction novels, available for a limited time. There are tough choices to be made and dastardly villains to outwit in this breath-taking collection that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Plucky heroes and devastating anti-heroes face off against demons, spirits, shifters, witches, and more in this limited-edition arrangement that features a satisfying combination of epic fantasy, science fiction, romance, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, and more!

This killer deal won’t last forever, so grab your copy today!

ABOUT TERRI BRUCE

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her second novel, Thereafter (Afterlife #2), will be released May 1, 2014.

Website/Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR TERRI BRUCE

Hereafter

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Giveaway – Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust #GailOust @dollycas

Posted on January 11, 2018 by fundinmental

Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery
by Gail Oust

This mystery is nicely seasoned with plenty of humor. Small town life lends well to that as does small-town politics. . . Then you add in the Southern ways and charm, and you have a perfect cozy mystery.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

I adore Piper and her spice shop, the community of friends and foes, along with wonderful mysteries.
~Bibliophile Reviews

In GINGER SNAPPED, Oust has penned another top-notch mystery filled with secrets, murder, and fun! Once started on this story, I couldn’t set my book down.
~Lisa Ks Book Reviews

The Spice Shop Mysteries are my some of my favorites. This is book 5 in the series and it just keeps getting better and better.
~A Chick Who Reads

A wonderful stand-alone cozy mystery that is part of an addictive series.
~Laura’s Interests

This book is one of those mysteries that you just have a blast reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it . . . I can’t get enough of the awesome characters, witty dialogue, perfect setting, and top-notch mysteries in this series.
~Brooke Blogs

This had been a fun and quick read, Piper and her best friend Reba Mae friendship is what adds some spice to this book, be prepared to have a few laughs.
~Varietats

Ginger Snapped was a fun cozy read.
~My Reading Journeys

Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Minotaur Books (December 12, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250081261
Kindle ASIN: B071LM71RR

Piper Prescott and Police Chief Wyatt McBride might have gotten off on the wrong foot but, over the past year, their interactions have evolved into a friendship of sorts. And when the body of Shirley Randolph is found floating in a fishing hole, their relationship reaches entirely new territory.

Shirley, the town’s Realtor of the Year, was also Wyatt’s suspected romantic interest, and now the residents of Brandywine Creek are speculating that Wyatt is responsible for her death. As the town council moves to suspend the handsome lawman, Piper springs into action to save his reputation and possibly his freedom. She enlists the aid of her BFF, Reba Mae Johnson, along with Wyatt himself, to help solve the puzzle and find Shirley’s real killer.

Pointing them toward high-powered real estate tactics and possible affairs, the investigation soon becomes personal when Piper’s shop, Spice It Up!, is burglarized, and she’s forced off the road late one night, narrowly escaping serious injury. Realizing that she must be close to uncovering the truth, and that the evidence against Wyatt is no longer circumstantial, Piper resorts to drastic measures to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice.

Friends often accuse Gail Oust of flunking retirement. While working as a nurse/vascular technologist, Gail penned nine historical romances under the pseudonym Elizabeth Turner for Avon, Pocket, Berkley, and Kensington. It wasn’t until she and her husband retired to South Carolina that inspiration struck for a mystery. Hearing the words, “maybe it’s a dead body,” while golfing with friends fired her imagination for the Bunco Babe Mystery series originally published by NAL. In conjunction with Beyond the Page Publishing, the Bunco Babe series has been republished in digital format as the Kate McCall Mysteries complete with new titles and a whole new look. Gail has written five Spice Shop Mysteries for Minotaur/St. Martin’s. Her favorite pastimes are reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends.

Author Links

Webpage – www.gailoust.com, Gail Oust Author on Facebook, and Goodreads.

Purchase Links: Amazon B&N kobo Google Play BAM

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Tour Participants

January 3 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

January 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – COZY WEDNESDAY (REVIEW, GUEST POST)

January 4 – Valerie’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 4 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW

January 5 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – INTERVIEW

January 5 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST WITH RECIPE

January 5 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

January 6 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 6 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW

January 6 – The Montana Bookaholic – SPOTLIGHT

January 7 – Varietats – REVIEW

January 7 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW

January 9 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

January 9 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

January 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 10 – The Self-Rescue Princess – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 10 – Book Babble – REVIEW

January 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

January 11 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW

January 12 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

January 12 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – Community Bookstop -REVIEW

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Monsters Are Real!!! Bitter Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff

Posted on January 11, 2018 by fundinmental

OMG..Alexandra Sokoloff did it again in Bitter Moon, Book IV in the Huntress/FBI Thriller series.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I had received several books of this series and loved them so much, I binge read all three. So apt this book comes after the others. I think I got a lot more from it, because I am totally engrossed in how Cara came to be a vigilante.

In Bitter Moon, Cara relives her tragic past and it is brutal, horrifying, terrifying, and haunting. The insight into her motivation makes me see evil in its purest form. It’s no wonder she takes her revenge as a vigilante on all the users and abusers. The atrocities committed on defenseless children by family, friends, strangers, they need a guardian angel and Cara will fight to her dying breath for herself and for them.

Roarke has walked away from the FBI because of his conflicted feelings about her. He is lost, isolated, confused…As he tries to find answers for himself, Roarke tracks her past. He walks where she walked, meeting some people she knew, gaining insight. The nun simplified if for him, he is on a mission.

Can evil be drawn to a particular person? Can someone attract the bad through no fault of their own?

It is frightening and horrifying as I read of her past and know these things really happen, that the depravity of humans are going on right now. I am at a loss for words with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.

I love Cara and don’t know how she can have a happy ever after, but I so much want it for here. If any character I have ever read about deserves something good in her life, Cara does. She is dogged by evil, she never quits, never gives up, willing to take them out one by one.

She runs from IT, but IT follows here everywhere she goes.

Monsters are real!

Research? If half of what Alexandra Sokoloff has written about rape and trafficking, the women and children, throwaway kids, the predatory people out there is true, we should all be afraid. It may be easier to turn the other way, but you never know when EVIL might come for you.

I had wondered if there would be more, because the rest of Cara and Roarke’s story needs to be told, and I am so happy to know…there is.

There are so many great quotes, that I had to share a few of them.

“Look too long into the abyss and the abyss looks back into you.”

“Fear the wolf, or be the wolf.”

“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” John Stuart Millshad

Alexandra Sokoloff had me wound so tight, I felt like I would explode. My emotions were all over the place and I did breathe a sigh of relief…and regret…when I was done. The characters have captured my heart and I miss them as soon as I close the ‘cover’. Stay safe everyone, I’ll be back.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bitter Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff and these novels will be sitting on my reread shelf!!!!

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

FBI agent Matthew Roarke has been on leave, and in seclusion, since the capture of mass killer Cara Lindstrom—the victim turned avenger who preys on predators. Torn between devotion to the law and a powerful attraction to Cara and her lethal brand of justice, Roarke has retreated from both to search his soul. But Cara’s escape from custody and a police detective’s cryptic challenge soon draw him out of exile—into the California desert and deep into Cara’s past—to probe an unsolved murder that could be the key to her long and deadly career.

Following young Cara’s trail, Roarke uncovers a horrifying attack on a schoolgirl, the shocking suicide of another, and a human monster stalking Cara’s old high school. Separated by sixteen years, crossing paths in the present and past, Roarke and fourteen-year-old Cara must race to find and stop the sadistic sexual predator before more young women are brutalized.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF

I’m the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the Amazon bestselling crime and supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between, and the new Thriller Award- nominated Huntress/FBI thriller series: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon. The New York Times Book Review has called me “a daughter of Mary Shelley” and my novels “some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”

I’m a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.

In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.

I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (http://screenwritingtricks.com)

I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.

When I’m not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing – I do it all, every chance I get.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

MY REVIEW LINKS FOR ALEXANDRA SOKOLOF

I love these gorgeous covers.

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I Am Happily Surprised with Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery @susanmallery

Posted on January 10, 2018 by fundinmental

Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery is one of those books that makes me glad I cross all genres when reading. I never know where that hidden gem will come from.

And this was definitely a gem.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I am always amazed when I love a “romance” so much, but great writing is great writing, no matter the subject or the genre.

Three sisters, each with their own distinct personality, each harboring their own secret.

The writing is fabulous and their world was so easy to visualize. I loved so much of the verbal banter between Courtney and Quinn. I laughed out loud when Rachel was ‘cramping’ in the kitchen. Come on Sienna. Listen to your instincts. They are speaking loud and clear.

Even with a predictable story, Susan Mallery can weave a story with some heat and bite, that had me laughing, smiling, oohing and aahing.

She wasn’t sure what was more eye catching – the convertible with the top down, the handsome man driving it, or the blonde poodle sitting next to him in the passenger seat.

Basically, he was catnip and she just wanted to purr and rub all over him.

I had seen Daughter of the Bridge by Susan Mallery on another blog and mentioned that I don’t think I had read any of her work before. Then, surprise, surprise, I get the beautiful signed hardcover with a gorgeous bookmark arriving at my door. No review asked for, but I try to review all the physical books I receive, so no request necessary.

At the end of the book are discussion questions, perfect for your book club, and some “sweet” recipes in honor of the Drunken Red Nosed Honeybee.

This is one of those books I feel could be on everyone’s reading list

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With Joy, Love and a Little Trepidation, Courtney, Sienna and Rachel Invite You to the Most Emotional Wedding of the Year… Their Mother’s

Courtney

~ The Misfit ~

As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her—and how she views herself—forever.

Sienna

~ The Free Spirit ~

When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say “I do” even if she’s not sure she does?

Rachel

~ The Cynic ~

Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom’s wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily-ever-after.

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sus

Magical Realism – Blood and Ashes by Marilyn Peake @marilynpeake

Posted on January 9, 2018 by fundinmental

Marilyn Peake’s latest release, Blood and Ashes, is a fabulous paranormal/supernatural, fantasy novel with a touch of realism, except for the magical part…

I love the colorful color and the red makes it pop off the pages. Very pretty and spills some of the secrets inside.

Cover by Phatpuppy.com

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Miracles and magic are happening from the opening pages, and Kaelin’s acting like it’s an every day occurrence in these desperate times.

The financial situation the characters find themselves in, makes me think of current events, with businesses closing, people being deported, people losing everything, and those with hope struggling to survive.

When Kaelin found the baby, I really woke up, became hooked and knew I would have trouble putting the book down, even long enough for a bathroom break.

Her mother has a heart so big, so open and giving, I wish more for her. No one deserves a break more than she does. Some characters…and people…amaze me with their ability to give, and the depths of love that is freely given.

First an abandoned baby, then a kitty with itty bitty legs, Kaelin takes them home and makes them her own.

And Devin, the new guy across the hall. What’s up with him? Why doesn’t she question his sudden appearances? Almost as if he knows something. I know he’s going to be special.

Kaelin has friends, people looking out for her and her family, like Mrs Santiago, who owns the grocery store and Gwendolyn Griffin, a healer who offers to work with her to develop her healing abilities. If you ever want candy, be sure and visit Mrs Santiago’s store.

Kaelin is very resourceful, and even though she dumpster dives for additional food for the family, you would never know it by her attitude. She knows where to find apples and blueberries, ripe for the picking. She has a green thumb, and her touch can be like Miracle Gro.

She does everything she can to make it to college, wanting a better life for them all. But, even though she is accepted, due to cutbacks of the governmental kind, there is no money available to help her. She chooses an alternative, Gwendolyn Griffin’s traditional healing of the witchy kind.

I can see the kids with bags of Halloween costumes, as they are tossed willy nilly, while they each choose the perfect costume. Kaelin goes to the thrift store and creates a mish mash costume that makes her beauty bloom.

The book is divided into three parts.

Part I is Kaelin’s story that takes place in the human world.

Part II is Liliana’s Story that takes place in the fairie world. Liliana is a fairy that crosses into the human world. A romance goes wrong. But the world is not what it appears to be.

Part III brings them all together, exposing secrets and Kaelin’s true calling.

Human, Seelie, Unseelie, good fairies, bad fairies…Magic, danger, romance, love and loss.

Blood and Ashes is written for the young at heart, with easy reading and a quick pace. I love the imaginative world and characters Marilyn Peake has created. Such a great story. I found myself smiling at the simplest things. Her ability to spin a tale keeps her high on my reading list…no matter what genre she writes in.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With blood and magic, civilization rises from the ash.

Worlds are falling apart in two realms: human and faerie. After the factories close and her father dies of alcoholism, Kaelin helps her family survive by foraging for food. Her world is thrown into chaos as she comes to realize she has incredible power as both blood and hedge witch. When a handsome stranger enters her life, it’s clear that he’s not from her neck of the woods. Although he and his family appear perfect in so many ways, they desperately need her help.

Blood and Ashes is a Paranormal Romance novel with some adult content.

ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE

From Goodreads:

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.

Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

Stalk Marilyn Peake: Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR MARILYN PEAKE

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Monday Mini – Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor @lainitaylor

Posted on January 8, 2018 by fundinmental

I was so excited when I found I had won a hard copy of Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

I love the gorgeous cover. How about you?

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I was awed and amazed with the excellent world building and the romance that crosses all barriers. The characters are richly developed and complex, each one vital to the story in their own way. I loved everything about this unputdownable fantasy, so I will warn you to start Strange The Dreamer on the weekend, lock all the doors, pull the curtains, and put up the DO NOT DISTURB sign. My only complaint…There is another book and you will need to read it to get all the answers.

“Life won’t just happen to you, boy,” he said. “You have to happen to it.”

I was super excited that I won a copy of Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

laini. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.