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.
Cate Beauman’s Aftermath Of Secrets Release Celebration!
AFTERMATH OF SECRETS
The Carter Island Trilogy, Book 2
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2020
MY REVIEW
Aftermath by Cate Beauman is Book II of the Charter Island series and picks up where book one left off, though it is Molly and Brad’s turn to be in the spotlight. I don’t know why Aftermath fell a little flat, unless it was because I was blown away by Secrets in the Glass and read it immediately after, and it didn’t grab me, like the first one. Could it be because I wasn’t as invested in the characters and their outcome, like I was with Callie and Nate?
One drunken night had ruined Molly and Brad’s lifelong friendship. Molly, Brad, and Molly’s brother, nate, had been like the Three Musketeers. They both missed it, though they didn’t know how to fix it. With romantic suspense a lot comes down to communication. Who would make the first move?
When the characters mentioned watching Friends reruns, I thought, isn’t Friends always on cable somewhere. LOL I watch them all the time. I love little touches like this that make it easy to relate to moments in the characters lives.
Molly is easy going, but she is a tomboy and not shy about saying what she thinks. I love Molly thoughts about fashion…sneakers, jeans and a sweat shirt. And makeup? What’s that? She is the opposite of Callie and I think that’s why they make such great friends. Sounds like someone I could be friends with too. They can fill in the blanks and help navigate some of their troubles, all while building a friendship.
Molly’s sister, Gwen, is the opposite when it comes to fashion. I love when she is dressing her for a New Year’s ball and she looks in the mirror, all glammed up, and says,”Holy crap.” I busted out laughing. Been there, done that.
Brad’s brother, Jordan, appeared, I thought his timing highly suspicious and Brad is leery.
I knew a shitstorm was brewing, it’s just, what kind of shit storm will it be.
I have read a lot of Cate Beauman’s books and love them. I’m not sure what happened with Aftermath. The beginning seemed a little choppy. I was already invested in the characters and wanted the best for Molly and Brad, but, for me, it never reached the level of Secrets in the Glass. I would recommend reading Secrets in the Glass first and feel Aftermath keeps Carter Island on the map.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Aftermath by Cate Beauman.
4 Stars
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
When The Secrets Of The Past Threaten To
Destroy The Future…
Boston’s Most Eligible Bachelor has it all:
good looks, a great career, and plenty of wealth and prestige. But Bradley
Sanderson’s charmed life quickly falls apart when scandal rocks his famous
family. Arrests have been made; the media circus has begun, and Brad’s been
tasked with the daunting chore of restoring the Sandersons’ good name. Moving
back to Carter Island and picking up the pieces hasn’t been easy, especially
when the one person he needs the most won’t give him the time of day.
Bakery owner and island resident Molly Carter
is loyal to her core, but that doesn’t mean Brad’s homecoming hasn’t left her
torn. Brad’s darkest days aren’t lost on Molly, but reaching out to her
lifelong friend isn’t so simple when she’s forced to guard her heart. Everything
changed when she woke up alone after their sexy summer night.
The complications keep coming when Brad’s
long-lost brother shows up in town, bringing the remnants of his checkered past
with him. Forgiveness and redemption are possible for all, until new secrets
come to light that may have dire consequences.
*A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense
5
Stars!“I’m
a big sucker for a good love story, especially one that has drama. Aftermath Of
Secrets by Cate Beauman provided both in a beautiful way. I was swept in by the
characters, their wants, and desires.” -Shannon Winings, Readers’
Favorite Book Awards
EXCERPT
“So,
what now? The tree’s officially decorated. It’s just you, me, hot chocolate,
and…a movie?”
“Scrabble,”
Brad decided. His family wasn’t going to ruin one more moment of his night.
Molly’s
left brow winged up again. “Scrabble?”
He
nodded. “By the Christmas tree—something we’ve never done before. I didn’t get
a chance to kick your ass after Thanksgiving dinner this year.”
She
flashed him one of the grins that lit up her face and made his pulse race.
Damn, she was spectacular. “I’ve kicked your ass the last two years in a
row, which is odd because didn’t you go to Harvard?”
He
laughed, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. “You’ve gotta come up with something
else.”
“But
it was Harvard, right? And Harvard Medical School after that?”
“Yeah,
it was both of the Harvards.” He reached out, tugging gently on her hair.
“Let’s do this, brat.”
She
pulled the game out of the basket beneath the coffee table. “Oh, let’s indeed.”
They
brought their mugs and plate of treats with them as they moved to lie on their
stomachs across from one another and set up the game under the lights of the
tree.
He
selected his preliminary tile and grinned when he drew a letter A and
Molly a G. “Looks like I go first.” He drew his seven tiles and let out
a hoot as he studied his selection. “And here we go.” He laid out quit in
the center of the board. “That looks like fourteen points.”
She
glared as she pulled her tiles and looked at her pieces. “Beginner’s luck.”
He
sent her a mischievous smile. “We’ll see.”
Molly
beamed. “Got one.” She laid out an S, L, and T.
His
brow shot up. “Slut?”
“And a double word score for eight points.
Don’t be jealous.”
“I’m
not. First move, and I’m winning.”
“For
now, but it’s early days, Ivy League. Early days.”
He
laughed as she did. Christmas tree decorating, Scrabble, and plenty of smack
talk with Molls. Her five nights of fun idea was turning out to be the ultimate
gift.
ALSO PART OF THE CARTER ISLAND NOVELS SERIES
SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS
The Carter Island Novels, Book 1
MY REVIEW
Secrets Hidden in the Glass is a looooong book and I have a lot to say. Once I started, I only put it down to eat, use the facilities, and sleep. The characters quickly became my friends and I went on one hell of a ride, filled with danger and suspense. It has so many elements I love in a book, my page and a half of notes is going to have to be severely edited.
Callie desperately needed a vacation and felt the magical affects of the island her first day there. She was in desperate need of sleep and it found her as soon as she sat down. She awoke more refreshed than she had felt for months.
She had already met the sheriff and, like the island, she felt an immediate attraction when he poked his head out from under the sink he was fixing in the home she was renting. He felt the attraction too and, seeing he was her landlord and neighbor, felt he would have many opportunities to get to know her better.
Callie is an artist, working in stained glass, and fame has not been kind to her. She prefers spending her time working on her art to hobnobbing with those who want a piece of her. She built a very high wall to protect herself.
Nate slowly dries the mortar that holds the wall,allowing it to fall and the light, along with her emotions were coming out in a slow way, relaxing in the small moments of getting to know someone. She steps outside herself not knowing why, just that it felt right. Their romance is a slow build with many uncertainties and danger.
The island life was what she needed. The people are real, easy going and not overbearing, even though they know she is famous, though she has no idea they know and is surprised by it when she finds out. All this reminds me soooo much of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
Callie is relaxed, happy, but knowing Cate Beauman this is foreplay for the danger lurking in the background. I keep waiting and waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. The slow, subtle buildup is spent getting to know everyone, including the dark memories that put a bullseye on Callie. It does get hot and heavy, but not in the ‘I like you, let’s do it” manner.
I am soooo curious how she came to be abandoned at four years old. She has all the issues that go along with it. That explains why she holds people at a distance.
...love and attachment meant fear and pain for Callie.
When Callie’s adopted mom told Nate that as a child she would get up in the night and sleep in front of the door so she would know if they tried to leave her, it broke my heart. It’s the little details that Cate Beauman adds to the story that allows me to SEE what is happening.
“It crossed my mind to knock him out a couple of times, but then I would have needed to arrest myself…” says Nate.
Be prepared for tears, laughter, passion, danger, and hours of nonstop reading, because Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman is the complete package. I am BLOWN AWAY.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman.
5 Stars
BOOK DESCRIPTION
The secrets of the past are always closer than we think…
Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a
vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the
pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter
Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed
solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into
gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.
Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height
of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months,
tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of
autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians
like it best.
But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets
the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide
secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they
continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.
*A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense
“Great
character’s, fantastic plot, it is a book to sink into. You feel the magic of
the island…” Amazon Verified Review
“Even throughout the nail-biting scenes, and
moments of terrible sadness, you feel the rise of love sneaking back into the
picture.” Amazon Verified Review
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.4/5
ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN
Cate Beauman is the multi-award-winning, international bestselling author of The Bodyguards of L.A. County series and the Carter Island Novels. She is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense and contemporary stories.
Cate’s
novels have been named Readers’ Favorite Five Star books and have won the
Booksellers’ Best Award, Maggie Award for Excellence, the Holt Medallion Award,
two-time Aspen Gold Medal, two-time Readers’ Favorite International Gold Medal,
three-time Readers’ Favorite International Silver Medal, and the Readers’ Crown
Award.
Cate
makes her home in New Hampshire with her family and their St. Bernards, Bear
and Jack.
I received an email from Nick’s Reader’s Club with all those beautiful covers lined up in a row. Do you wonder who’s watching you now? LOL
Also, Dead Meat: Day 1 is free, while Nick has heavily discounted Day 2 And Day 3, so now is the time to jump in. You can also read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading.
The Dead Meat series by Nick Clausen covers the apocalyptic/dystopian world he has created on a day by day basis. I highly recommend reading the series in order as each book picks up where the previous book left off.
It is so easy to visualize and relate to the storyline because we are going through it now, sans the zombies. I began reading this before Covid-19, but the characters careless actions read too much like real people’s disregard for others in spreading the disease. All it take is one person to break the rules, one moment of carelessness, others thinking, oh, it will be alright. It only takes one person to set off an explosion.
Day 4 is longer than the other books. It seems to grow as I meet new characters and keep up with the old ones.
I could not stop reading this action packed, heart in my throat, nonstop suspense with tension that left be a bit sore from my muscles being clenched so tight.
OMG…you better be prepared to lose some of your friends along the way, because Nick Clausen doesn’t hesitate to kill them off in gruesome, tragic, heartbreaking fashion.
AND…he ends with my emotions reeling as I mourn, yet I have hope.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat: Day 4 by Nick Clausen.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
The dead have awakened. Driven by insatiable hunger. In eternal search of fresh meat. The infection spreads like the plague. Nothing stands between the undead and humanity. Is it too late to save the world from disaster?
The end of the world one day at a time
In this new apocalyptic zombie series from the author of They Come at Night and Human Flesh, we follow events day for day as the world slowly decends into mayhem and the zombies take over. Don’t miss the thrilling ride!
For fans of The Walking Dead and The Orphan Books.
Day 4 of the zombie apocalypse
The story picks up from Day 3. Dorte, a young doctor, desperately tries to find a cure for her sister, who got scratched by one of the infected. It’s a race against time, and it’s only the beginning of another day in hell.
By Day 4, the infection begins to spread across nation
borders, and it looks like none of the governments will be able to
contain it. Is it too late to save the world?
★★★★★ “Definitely the best day yet!”
★★★★★ “This series just gets more and more exciting”
★★★★★ “had me hooked from the first page”
EXCERPT
Henrik has turned away to go back inside the bedroom and pack a fresh set of clothes, when Kirsten screams.
He
spins around and sees Finn come lunging out from Jennie’s old room,
throwing himself at Kirsten, who backs away into the wall in a vain
attempt to get out of reach. But it’s too late, and Finn bites down hard
on her neck.
Kirsten’s scream turns even higher and more piercing.
Oh, Jesus Christ!
Henrik
runs down the hallway and grabs Kirsten’s flailing arm. He begins
tugging hard to get her away from Finn, but Finn acts like a predator
who just caught his breakfast and isn’t intent at all on letting it go.
He bears down harder with his teeth, growling and blowing bubbles in the
blood from Kirsten’s throat. He also reaches up and grabs her by the
grey hair, yanking her head sideways.
Kirsten screams again, very
high-pitched, but a little weaker than before, and for an awful moment,
she looks like a piece of toy torn between two big kids, as Henrik pulls
her one way, while Finn pulls her the other.
“Let go of her!”
Henrik shouts, and then, without thinking, he lets go of Kirsten with
one hand in order to throw a punch at Finn. His knuckles connect with
the old guy’s temple, and his jaw pops open for a moment, as he blinks
his dead eyes and staggers backwards, loosening his grip on Kirsten’s
hair and allowing Henrik to pull her free. She almost collapses into his
arms, and Henrik half drags, half lifts her backwards down the hallway,
away from Finn.
But the neighbor quickly regains his bearings and
comes waddling after them, arms stretched out, the lower part of his
face smothered in blood …
ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN
Born 1988 in North Jutland,
where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest
childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up
until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been
studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of
psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a
much more powerful pull on me.
I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In
fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book,
Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at
14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got
praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and
trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should
be an author.
That day I made a promise
to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and
started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a
half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the
rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could
feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The
thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the
publisher and came out a year later.
I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot
of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more
free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That
way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the
characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come
from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.
Due to mature content, this book is best suited for a Mature YA/New-Adult or Adult reader.
John looked at the sign, Lucius D Harwell.
He approached the doctor’s door and knew he had to go in…now. Before anyone saw him,
“So”, the doctor said, “Are you ready?”
When he saw the bucket full of the slithering slime he remembered the woman he had brought in a while back. It hadn’t ended so well for her.
What would become of him? There had to be another way. He couldn’t bring himself to let the doctor begin. He had heard stories whispers, quickly hushed when someone approached. The doctor tried to talk him into beginning but he thought it couldn’t hurt to hypothetically discuss other options. The doctor tried to explain that it wasn’t like an elixir or ointment, couldn’t be found in a battle or jar – more like a potion, it was witchcraft. It went against church and state, but John couldn’t help himself.
Three conditions would let the doctor begin his recommended treatment, after he told him he would have to “cast away his good name and denounce all things holey and pure”. He would never speak of the books or what was contained in the pages. He agreed. The doctor retrieved the book and John watched him place it on the desk.
He saw only one word, KURE. The doctor gave him one more chance to change his mind, but he placed his hand on the cover of the book and felt an evil. As the book turned its pages on its own volition the doctor began reading.
How did Jaye Frances go there? It makes me wonder how her mind works.
Jaye France’s books have taken me on some wild journeys I never could have imagined, and I always breathe a sigh of relief, for leaving with my sanity, when the story is told.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“In vain thou shall use
many medicines, but thou shalt not be kured. And even though you search
for a virgin to lay upon her balm, there is no healing for you. You
multiply your remedies in vain as your cries fill the earth, and you
will stumble, one over the other, and both will fall down together.” –
The Book of Eternal Regret
John Tyler, a young man in his early
twenties, awakens to find a ghastly affliction taking over his body.
When the village doctor offers the conventional, and potentially
disfiguring, treatment as the only cure, John tenaciously convinces the
doctor to reveal an alternative remedy—a forbidden ritual contained
within an ancient manuscript called the Kure.
Although initially
rejecting the vile and sinister rite, John realizes, too late, that the
ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling
paper. And as cure quickly becomes curse, the demonic text unleashes a
dark power that drives him to consider the unthinkable—a depraved and
wicked act requiring the corruption of an innocent soul.
Ultimately,
John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that
is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing
the wrong decision could cost him his life.
ABOUT JAYE FRANCES
Jaye
Frances is the author of “World Without Love,” a suspense thriller
series with an erotic edge, including “Betrayed,” “Reunion,” and
“Redemption.” Her other books include “The Beach,” a sci-fi supernatural
tale about the possibilities—and horror—of wishful thinking, “The
Kure,” a paranormal-occult romance novel, “The Possibilities of Amy,” a
coming-of-age story of first love, and “Love Travels Forever,” a
collection of poignant short stories. When not absorbed with her
writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and taking pictures-lots of
them. Jaye lives on the gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one
husband, six computers, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
Cracked Sapphire, Book I in the Broken Gem series, is Jane Blythe’s newest release, fresh off the press. She is an amazing author and never ceases to give me hours of reading enjoyment and book surprises. I can hardly wait for the next one.
Every time I open a Jane Blythe book, I do so with high expectations and she did not let me down in her newest release, Cracked Sapphire. The book is filled with triggers that many people will want to avoid, but NOT ME! I want to walk the dark side. I want to be disgusted and outraged…and I am. WOW. Jane can sure deliver the shock factor!
I have more than a full page of notes and I know I can’t share all my thoughts, so what do I do, other than encourage you to walk the dark side with me and find out for yourself.
Amelia…I felt something was coming, but not that. Truly frightening when I believe it can be all too true. Jane Blythe has a wonderful ability to weave ‘it can really happen’ with her fiction.
Jane’s character descriptions make them easy to visualize, bringing them to life…or in some case, death.
Now, let’s talk about the series character’s names. They are all precious gems, like the characters themselves. They have been put through a horrendous experience with human traffickers, but they are determined to have a ‘normal’ life. How they were saved was the first of many book surprises.
“I like you,” he drawled. “I like the strong ones; they always have a better chance of surviving.” What the hell does that mean? I have a feeling a twist is coming.
Sapphire has made it her mission in life to catch as many criminals as possible. She devotes her life to it. The only friends she has is her sisters. She keeps tight control of her emotions, feeling she has to be strong for them. Her life is her sisters, catching the bad guy, and then…death. No marriage. No children. But, that’s okay, until…
She doesn’t always play well with others, and definitely has no respect for shrinks. She sees Dr Gideon Barlow as a necessary evil, when he is assigned to work the serial killer case with her. Dr Barlow does like a challenge and he knows Sapphire will be a big one, considering he is immediately attracted to her.
Jane never ceases to amaze me with the depth of depravity her villains will go to to satisfy their itch. It’s not surprising that this villain is not a people person. The suspense level rises as he slips through their fingers. They had him, but…well, I can’t tell you what happens. And that makes their case even harder to solve, because, now he knows, they are hot on his heels.
I loved watching Sapphire grown and change, quit taking the blame for everything that happens, letting the ‘normal’ be a possibility.
Romantic suspense has a push/pull, give/take wrapped up in miscommunication. But, Jane Blythe has written a unique take on the issue of keeping the suspense alive, the problems coming in an original way. I didn’t find myself saying, “well, I knew that was coming.” She didn’t prolong the agony by creating the romance conflict we are all so familiar with and I LOVE IT! Kudos for handling the romance in such an awesome way!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Cracked Sapphire by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Betrayed. Sold. Tortured. Now she’s fighting to rebuild her life.
Detective Sapphire Hatcher was sold to human traffickers when she was sixteen. She was lucky. She was rescued, and now she has dedicated her life to saving others. When a criminal psychiatrist is brought in to work alongside her, she tries to ignore the way he makes her feel, but he won’t let her.
Gideon Barlow travels the country working with police departments on the most depraved of cases. When he meets Sapphire, the attraction is instantaneous, but if he can’t help her realize that there is more to life than her job, she might end up losing not just her chance at happiness but her life as well.
↝ Trigger warning – mature content, issues of sexual assault/abuse, violence ↜
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
I was looking for more about Charisse Moritz because I loved this story, but it seems this is her debut novel and the only book I found…so far. I sure hope she is busy writing the next one, because I love this one!
Charisse Moritz blew me away with her debut novel and I am eager to read more of her work. I hope she is busy writing.
High school. Do you remember those days? Were you one of the popular ones? Or did you march to your own drummer?
It took me a minute or two to get started, but as personalities began to emerge, it played like a movie in my mind.
He has fallen a long way from the varsity hockey captain he used to be. His grandma wastes no words, telling it like it is, but has him asking the question, “What do I need?” His name is Shake LeCasse. They call him Shakespeare. Ever since the accident, his life has went to hell. Survivor’s guilt keeps him paralyzed. I feel Cleo is going to shake him up good. I quickly grew to love her.
Cleo feels a kinship with him and it grows. She thinks he’s hot. She gets a taste of what she wants before common sense rears it ugly head and reins her in. Cleo is deep, soft and hard, feisty…she ‘borrows’ things, pops in and out like a fairy, Now you she her, now you don’t.
…I can hear his heart beat. Funny how they all sound the same. Even the broken ones.
We have some laughs along the way, along with all the teenage angst that high school entails.
The more I read, the more I loved watching the characters learn and grow, each filling a hole in the others lives that no one else can. I love the snarky, witty dialogue.
“I’m going to kill him. Then I’m going to revive his ass, just so I can kill him again.”
Well…Shakespeare Burning is not a book I would normally pick up to read, but I am so glad I did. Branching out from my normal reads paid off in spades! I am so glad Charisse Moritz reached out to me and after I read the fantastic blurb that tweaked my interest, I had to know more. Something about it talked to me.
The book, the story, the wonderful characters drew me deeper and deeper into a story of loss, grief, sorrow, need, faith, loyalty and love.
I voluntarily read an ARC of Shakespeare Burning by Charisse Moritz.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He’s the boy who wants to disappear.
One mistake and seventeen-year-old Shake LeCasse lost everything. Now there’s no going back and no way to move forward. The once-popular Varsity hockey captain is living in the basement of a grandmother he barely knows, ditching school, avoiding friends and working hard on self-destruction.
She’s the girl nobody sees.
Cleo Lee survives however she can. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes, and saving Mr. Popular isn’t part of the plan. Telling him the truth about the night that destroyed his life is downright dangerous. She needs to keep quiet, be smart and let the guy she’s been half in love with since middle school throw away a future she’d do anything to have. Too bad she sucks at playing it safe.
ABOUT CHARISSE MORTIZ (from Amazon)
Emily Award Finalist and Melody Of Love Award Finalist, Charisse Moritz divides her life between upstate NY and northern Florida. When not barricaded inside her writing cave or enjoying every possible minute with her husband and three kids, you’ll find her listening to 60’s music, singing off key and looking for new reads.
Her debut book, Shakespeare Burning was released in July 2019 and is available in digital and print.
I actually picked up Itsy Bitsy Spider by Willow Rose on an Amazon free day on 11.22.14. I didn’t read it until 6.8.19, but that’s not the books fault. LOL
I am thoroughly creeped out by spiders, so I do love this cover.
Oh Astrid. My heart is breaking and I’ve only read the Prologue. I am one of those people that love Prologues and Epilogues.
Emma Frost is new to the island due to an inheritance, a house from her grandmother. let’s see what kind of trouble will come her way, seeing I know Willow Rose from other stories of hers I have read and she tends to blow my mind.
There’s a murder next door. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Willow has a way of grabbing me by the throat, gaining my full attention as I struggle like the characters to survive the evil.
WTF! Sure led me down a twisted, horrifying path to the killer.
Willow Rose draws me in slowly…I know it’s hard to come up with something new..and BAM, in your face, but Willow seems able to do that many times over!
From past to present an evil secret in Emma’s family is expose.
Blew me away. Saying OMG, Omg, omg…
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Emma Frost inherits a
house on Fanoe Island when her grandmother dies. She decides to move
there with her family, much to her teenage-daughter’s regret. One
morning a wealthy old woman in her street is found murdered and soon
Emma finds herself wrapped in a mystery uncovering the island’s dark
secrets that not only runs deep within the history of the island but
also within her own family.
From the author of the International
Bestselling books, the Rebekka Franck-series comes a new Scandinavian
Mystery destined to keep you up all night. This is the first book in the
Emma Frost-series and is followed by Miss Polly had a dolly.
ABOUT WILLOW ROSE
TheQueen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author
and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror,
Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t
see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of
ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three
million books.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters.
When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and
watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
P M Terrell writes some fabulous historical fiction. Clans and Castles: Checkmate is based on a true story that takes place in Ireland. She is wonderful with her research, drawing me in and bringing the world alive. Soooo, let’s take a step back in time.
P M Terrell surprises me every time I open one of her historical novels. I never used to read them very often, but she has completely won me over. Traveling back in time, whether it’s in the times of Indians in the United States or Clans and Castles in the countryside of Ireland. She incorporates her own personal history with fiction and I look forward to each and every adventure.
The characters leap off the pages as they struggle to survive the turbulent times. They grow and develop throughout the story.
P M Terrell takes a complicated history, unfolding it in easy to follow steps, drawing me in further and further.
Will’s curiosity earned him a place at Captain Stewart’s side. In his wildest dreams he never could have imagined what the future held in store for him…and it was the ride of a lifetime. He fit in quickly, adapting to his new role, using intuition and common sense.
P M Terrell made the political and personal machinations hard for me to figure out. I see betrayal and treachery around every corner. When you think some of the characters existed in one form or another, tweaked for fictional reading, it becomes more real to me.
Who is good and who is bad? It depends what side of the story you’re on, except for the one that pops up now and then, the narcissist in a position of power, a power that he uses and abuses causing much brutality and bloodshed.
P M Terrell brings the location alive by describing the bogs and mists with an otherworldly feel. It seems magical and mysterious.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Checkmate by P M Terrell.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A window into the ancestors of anyone of Scot-Irish descent…
In 1608, William Neely left Wigtownshire, Scotland for Ulster. He was looking for his place in the world but what he found was the adventure of a lifetime.
Surrounded by powerful clans that had ruled Ulster for more than a thousand years, he came to know some of the most mighty chieftains of the time, including the formidable Cahir O’Doherty, who launched O’Doherty’s Rebellion with the burning of Derry and the killing of Sir George Paulet of His Majesty King James’ service. It would put in motion a chain of events that would transform Ireland and it would mark Cahir O’Doherty as the Last Gaelic Irish King in Ireland.
Cahir O’Doherty became the Lord of Inishowen as a teen after the death of his father. Known as The Queen’s O’Doherty due to his loyalty to Sir Henry Docwra and the English Crown, he saved his clan lands on the Inishowen Peninsula and his people from the fate that had befallen other Irish clans.
Peace would be short-lived, however, when Henry Docwra, Governor of Derry, was replaced by the ruthless Sir George Paulet, who ushered in a new wave of hatred for the Gaelic Irish. It would all come to a head on one fateful night when O’Doherty took the commander at Culmore Fort hostage along with his wife and son. Gaining access to the weapons at Culmore Fort, he led an invasion of Derry, burning the village to the ground. It would touch off a wave of events that would unite the major clans of Ulster, leading to a bombardment of Burt Castle, a counterattack in the Inishowen Peninsula and the burning of Ulster; a major battle at Kilmacrenan and finally a siege at Tory Island.
And when O’Doherty’s Rebellion was complete, it would usher in the age of The Plantation and mass immigration of Lowland Scots, encouraged by King James I to transform all of Ulster.
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.
Well, the subject for Little Girl Lost by Jane Blythe is sure to get emotions in an uproar. I mean, how degraded must someone be to kidnap, torture, rape and sell a child? I love walking the dark side with my characters and Jane Blythe makes that so easy to do.
I have just finished reading Jane Blythe’s novel, Dead or Alive and she left me with a tease that I had to follow up…immediately, so I began reading Little Girl Lost. I’m happy I didn’t wait, because everything I wanted to know about Tessa is now reveals…at least I think so. She is such a private person, holding tightly to her secrets, it is hard to know for sure.
Just ask Detective Parker Bell. Her loves her and made her his wife, yet he knows there are many secrets she has buried from her tragic past. After all, she has walked in these children’s footsteps and, even though she managed to escape with her life, survivor’s guilt hounds her every breath.
“You know you don’t have to do everything yourself all the time, Tessa.”
“It’s okay to let people help you sometimes.”
It is almost impossible to put down a Jane Blythe thriller because she fills her novels with emotion provoking content, tremendous amounts of tension making me feel the urgency of her characters and biting suspense as I wonder who will survive. The recurring characters have had more than their share of misfortune and hardship, but does that stop Jane Blythe from piling on more? OH NO. BUT, I love it. Does that make me as twisted as some of her characters? I hope not. After all, you have to go into their minds to be able to do what’s necessary, whether it’s taking them down or just trying to get into their head.
I have been with Tessa since the beginning and I understand her difficulty in believing and trusting, letting others into her world. She has been betrayed, used, tortured and abused, and I understand her need to keep her secrets. Tessa has her sweet, tender, vulnerable moments, but if I am ever in need of a kickass savior, I would love to have her at my side. She will sacrifice everything to save others.
There are plenty of villains to go around, but John Doe…I see him and I see why he does what he does, but I have no forgiveness for the loss of an innocent child. I do love a villain that creates ambivalent emotions and Jane Blythe does that with John Doe. The rest…do unto others…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Little Girl Lost by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
If she can’t give up her secrets she’ll lose everything.
After
crashing their car in the woods Detective Parker Bell and his wife
Tessa stumble upon a blood covered child and find themselves thrown
headfirst into a nightmare eerily familiar to the one Tessa found
herself in sixteen years ago.
Forced to confront a past she would
rather forget, every decision Tessa makes could cost her everything she
has grown to love. Faced with several missing children cases he knows
are related to Tessa’s childhood nightmare, Parker must decide how hard
to push his wife to get the answers he wants, and if he is even ready to
face the truth of what happened to Tessa when she was kidnapped as a
child.
↝ Trigger warning – themes of sexual assault ↜
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
Any book by Britney King is high on my reading list, so as soon as Kill Sleep Repeat hit my Kindle, I was all over it. Britney has never disappointed me and this one was so much more than I expected.
As soon as Kill Sleep Repeat hit my Kindle, I began reading. I cannot let one of her thrillers sit on my virtual bookshelf. I must know who will be put through hell this time.
Stay focused. Remain in character. Don’t get murdered. For Charlotte, they are rules to live by.
Charlotte is a flight attendant and an assassin, which makes it easy to travel to her marks. Her victims pay the ultimate price. She’s married to Michael, with two daughters, but no one knows her secret. She is a sociopath, no conscience, no remorse and revels in wrapping her hands around her marks neck until no sign of life is left, but they are all villains in their own right. Her father was a sheriff, so maybe that’s where she comes by her need for justice.
She killed for the first time when she was in college, but Britney King doesn’t let it be just a murder. This the first twist that caught me offguard and I am loving it.
Do we ever really know someone? Their true thoughts and feelings? What they are doing when we are not with them? How long can someone hide the truth from their spouse, their family, their friends? How long before they all figure out who you really are…a sociopath.
Henry…is a good or bad? Can she trust him?
JC…well, I see him being a big problem and I’m not sure who he really is…until…
The website. I love how she handled that. Adds a little something extra, which is something Britney King manages to do in each and every story. It’s the little details that make a story something special.
Britney King is excellent with book surprises and I was hit with one after another, each larger than the first. I never saw the direction we would go, the danger and intrigue. I want to say more, but I want you to experience this for yourself, so mum’s the word.
As I read Kill Sleep Repeat, I was totally in Charlotte’s corner. She may be a vigilante, taking the law into her own hands, but I want her to succeed and survive. I want her to get her revenge when she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Kill or be killed.
I bounced between 4 and 5 stars, but because it is an ARC, I will overlook the tiny issues I had because it is just that good!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Kill Sleep Repeat by Britney King.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes an intense and deadly provocative thriller which follows a woman who, in a fight for survival, realizes her job may cost more than it pays.
Several times a week, Charlotte Jones leaves suburbia behind and boards a chartered flight to parts unknown, where she wraps her hands around the necks of marks for just as long as she has to.
Then she goes back to domestic life with a paycheck, defense wounds, and the sense that she can handle anything.
Which is good, because being a wife, mother, and sociopath, with an insatiable taste for murder, gives the term work-life balance new meaning. When one life unexpectedly bleeds into the other, leading to a secret admirer and borderline insta-fame, Charlotte is forced to ask herself if she really can have it all.
Slick and unsettling, Kill, Sleep, Repeat is a cunning tale of deception and desire that begs the question: Do we ever really know people the way we think we do?
ABOUT BRITNEY KING
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes
psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone
novels.
The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have
known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy,
dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on
revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female,
and Basic Instinct.
The Water Series follows the shady love story of an
unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been
compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.
Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the
journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks
to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to
keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about
unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and
apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it
has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.
The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless
couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For
fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel
explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is
reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this
gig. You can find Britney online here:
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her
mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb
into your browser.
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