Not only did someone out there know her secret, but they’d dug it out of its grave, chopped it in pieces, and left it at her door.
They had stuck a note in his mouth warning her that her secrets would be revealed. Seems the whole town and everyone in it has a secret, especially the McKays. I have been loving the series and spending time with the family, so I anticipate trouble.
Casey, Alexandra and Fletcher were at the same orphanage and the McKays had adopted them at the same time. Charlie came along five years later and they immediately bonded. I love that they would hold meetings in the attic, deciding who they would let into their lives and what their actions would be when a problem arose. Even as adults, they hold their meetings, but now, they are learning to let others in. Casey is the oldest, Charlie the nicest, Alexandra the bitchiest and Fletcher the meanest. I have a weakness for Fletcher. I feel she is the most fragile, yet she can take down a man three times her size.
Mack is stealing the show. She is the two year old daughter of Charlie and cute as a button. I have become sappy and love when an author can bring a character to life with her writing and the dialogue is spot on, giving me plenty of smiles.
Charlie is usually too busy taking care of everyone else, to worry about her own life. Or, is it just deflection, so she doesn’t have to deal with her own issues….especially when she meets Craig. Mack falls in love with him and wants him for her daddy. Charlie is torn, her past making it hard to trust. The first man she gave her heart to broke it. Would she be able to open herself to him? How hard will he have to work to reach her?
“Like a missing ingredient?” A little dash of pepper was all you needed.
Mack gave Craig the nickname Pepper, because he smelled like it. Children and animals are a good judge of character, and Mack likes Craig, wants him for her daddy. Now, if she can just bring her mom around…
W L Brooks has brought just the right amount of danger, suspense, spice, and romance to the story. She makes it impossible to quit reading until the last page is read, which I did in one sitting. Her writing is easy to read, with the pacing flowing smoothly. I smiled, got a little ticked off at times, held my breath at times, and settled for an almost happy ever after. I guess we will have to see what happens in the next McKay adventure, Book IV, The Truth Behind The Mask.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Unearthing The Past Us by W L Brooks.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Charlie McKay couldn’t be happier with her life. Taking care of her daughter and everyone else around her is a labor of love. But the truth she’s buried lurks beneath the surface and letting the oh-so-tempting Craig Sutton into her world is the last thing she needs. Purchasing the small-town bar is only one of the reasons Craig Sutton moved to Blue Creek. Despite having his own agenda, Craig is unable to resist getting involved with the McKays. And the closer he gets to Charlie, the more entangled he wants to become. But secrets in this town run deep, and someone is dead set on exposing Charlie’s. She isn’t the only one with something to hide, and deception threatens their happily ever after. The danger increases, and Charlie must come to grips with the past that haunts her or lose everything.
W.L. Brooks was born with an active imagination. When characters come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the paranormal.
A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North Carolina. Check out the latest book in her McKay Series, The Truth Behind the Mask, and stay tuned to see what’s next!
I think the title and cover will tell us what’s going to be happening in The Torching, the third book in the Olivia Callahan series. I have loved the covers for the entire series. I have loved watching Olivia struggle through her recovery of an assault that led to her having amnesia. She slowly pieces together her life, her personality taking a three hundred and sixty degree twist. I really like her new self and watching her come into her own.
Trouble seems to be her middle name, because it follows her wherever she goes, through no fault of her own. Her group of friends are loyal and have their own baggage to share.
We start with her beloved Maryland house being torched. Accident? Arson?
The Wine, Whine, & Win group is missing one of their gal pals, Hannah. She had found her true love and moved to Florida. Why isn’t she answering their calls? Hmmm……
It took me a while to put the mystery together. I was surprised at first, but it makes so much sense. Ya never know where greed will take someone, how far they will go to accomplish their mission? goal?
Romance is in the picture, but Olivia is not ready to commit. I love how Kerry Peresta handled their relationship. She has been through, and continues to go through so much, how can she trust a man, or even herself, to make the right choice.
There is so much going on, so many players in The Torching by Kerry Peresta, that my mind was spinning, at times. Seems I would turn around and another villain popped up. No one was safe. Olivia’s search for a purpose has found her a career and answers from her past. I love that Kerry Peresta has created such fabulous characters that I do want to see more from them…and I think I know where we will be going next.
I had so many highlights in my ereader, that I had to pick and choose what I would share. Seeing this is a series, I don’t want to spoil any of the previous books for you, which I do highly recommend reading.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Torching by Kerry Peresta.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
Mysterious fires. A haunting past. A secret file.
Three years ago, Olivia Callahan endured an assault that resulted in a devastating brain injury. She survived, but she couldn’t remember anything about her life or who she was. Now, she’s determined to build a bridge between the past she lost and the life she must reclaim.
When Olivia crosses paths with PI Tom Stark, she is drawn to the investigative field, and becomes his intern. She finds a heavily redacted, forty-five-year-old file locked in his desk drawer that mentions her mother as a young woman. Why had her mentor hidden the file from her, and why had he never mentioned a case involving her mother?
As Olivia moves forward with her fledgling career, a string of mysterious fires moves through the community, puzzling the Baltimore Arson Investigative Unit. One of the fires strikes Olivia’s beloved farmhouse in rural Maryland. Now, in addition to uncovering the secrets bound within the redacted file, she becomes convinced that the fires happening around the area are disturbing calling cards…and they’re meant for her.
The Torching Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Traditional mystery or Suspense Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: March 2023 Number of Pages: 323 ISBN: 978-1-68512-323-9 Series: The Olivia Callahan Suspense series, 3 | Each is a Stand Alone Novel Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Smoke assailed us halfway up my long, winding, driveway. A dingy, gray film coated my windshield. I jabbed the brake to slow down, but my trembling foot slipped off the brake. Lilly gave me a look that broke my heart.
The surging, ballooning smoke hurled itself at us like angry fog. Visibility fell to near-zero the longer I drove. I slowed to a crawl. We inched along the lane until the strobing white-and-red lights cut through the smoke. I counted two fire engines and one black SUV on the lane as I approached. A couple of firefighters raced into my house. My door lay on the porch in three pieces, and an axe was propped against the wall. Each firefighter wore oxygen tanks attached to large, anteater-shaped masks. With their cumbersome, reflective-striped protective gear and masks, they looked more suited to step on the moon than inside my beloved Maryland farmhouse.
I brought my car to a shuddering halt.
We stepped out. I put my arm around Lilly.
Vaporous clouds of smoke cloaked my house. A couple of firefighters worked with giant, yellow firehoses. The men had divided themselves into teams, and the muted shouts told me some of them were behind the house. Flames leapt toward the sky from the backside of the roof. I counted six firefighters working on the house that I could see—plus the ones in the back. Tears trickled down my cheeks, and a terrifying thought struck—what about my cat?
“Lilly,” I said, my voice shaky, “Where was Riot when you last saw him?”
Lily’s face went white. “Mom…”
I grabbed her by the shoulders. “No, no…Riot’s smart. He will have found safety. I’ll find him. Stay here.”
I ran across the yard to a woman dressed in navy slacks and a white shirt with metal glinting on the front and official-looking patches on the arms. “I’m the owner,” I yelled over the whump of igniting flames, batting my way through smoke.
She shook my hand and identified herself as the public information officer. “Sorry to meet under these circumstances, but glad you were out of the home. We have it controlled. The team inside is checking to make sure it was contained. As far as we can tell, the seat of the fire is in the attic. Give us thirty minutes, okay? But ma’am, I’ll need you to stay back. Our investigator will be here soon. She’ll let you know when it’s safe to go inside.”
“My cat’s in there,” I yelled. “Can you have someone look for him?”
She spoke into a radio.
The smoke started to let up. Three hoses trained on the roof gushed out torrents of water. The huge flames stretching into the sky began to shrink. Radio chatter stuttered around the space. The firefighters stayed in constant contact, radios slung across their chests with a strap that held a mic.
These guys would not know where to look for Riot.
With an apologetic glance at Lilly, I skirted around the trucks, avoided the PIO, and dashed across the yard, up the front porch stairs, and into the house.
“MOM,” Lilly wailed through the billowy smoke.
Coughing, I ran inside. “Riot,” I screamed. “Riot, I’m here, buddy.”
I looked behind the couch. Underneath the dining room table. On top of his cat tree. Underneath the wingback chair. He wasn’t in any of his favorite spots. I plowed through the murkiness and melting sheetrock.
A bullhorn blared, “Ma’am. We need you to exit the building.” “Now!”
My throat was closing. My eyes stung like crazy. I needed to find him and get the heck out.
I scrambled into the kitchen and opened the lower cupboards, then the uppers. Searched the seats of the barstools, underneath the kitchen table. My heart thrashed like a wrecking ball in my chest. “Riot? I’m here, boy. Come on out,” I begged. A timid sound reached my ears. I waited. I heard it again, louder.
A shaggy, orange head appeared on top of the cabinets. I climbed up, grabbed him, and raced out the back door. The backyard firefighter team made group gestures that I interpreted as ‘get the hell out of here and let us do our job, ma’am’.
I zigzagged through the first responder obstacle course to my car, blinded by the strobing lights. Lilly spurted fresh tears and held out her arms for Riot. We watched in silence as the flames soared into the sky.
***
Excerpt from The Torching by Kerry Peresta. Copyright 2023 by Kerry Peresta. Reproduced with permission from Kerry Peresta. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Kerry Peresta is the author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense series. “The Torching,” book three, releases March, 2023, and books four and five in 2024 and 2025. Her standalone suspense thriller, “Back Before Dawn,” releases May, 2023. Additional writing credits include a popular newspaper and e-zine humor column, “The Lighter Side,” (2009—2011); the short story “The Day the Migraine Died,” published in Rock, Roll, and Ruin: A Triangle Sisters in Crime Anthology, articles published in Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events Magazine. She is past chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association and a current member and presenter of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, Hilton Head Island Writers’ Network, South Carolina Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Kerry is the mother of four adult children, and spent thirty years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, copywriter, and editor. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her working out, riding her bike or kayaking, enjoying the beaches of Hilton Head Island, or cuddling her two cats, Agnes and Felix. She and her husband moved to Hilton Head Island in 2015.
The McKay Series is an amazing collection of five novels and I have been devouring each and every one. Because The Truth Behind The Mask is Book IV of the series, I am going to do my best to not spoil anything for you.
Each book highlights one member of the McKay family and there are always secrets and danger involved. My favorite is Book I, Let The Dead Lie. We meet the girls and how they came to be brought together into a family. They have been abused, neglected, tortured and learning to love and be loved is so very difficult for them. They work hard and live hard. Nothing comes easy to them, but when you earn their trust, they will die for you.
Alexandra is the sister being spotlighted in The Truth Behind The Mask by W L Brooks. She had deeply hurt her sister, Fletcher, who had left town because of it. It’s those pesky secrets that keep popping up, refusing to stay buried. Fletcher had been staying with Jake and when she gets kidnapped, Alex and Jake will have to learn to work together.
Fletcher McKay attracted lunatics worse than shit attracted flies. Yep, the kid was trouble with a capital T.
Fletcher has been my favorite since the beginning, though I do love the other ‘ladies’ too and watching them grow, change, and find their place in the world has been a road I happily traveled. The tragedies heaped on Fletcher are unimaginable! Time and time again she is taken to the brink of death, but she suffers so the others won’t have to. Seems everyone wants to protect her. Believe me. she may be small but she is a warrior.
W L Brooks’ ability to write some fabulous dialogue between her characters is amazing. I found myself laughing out loud at Jake and the ice princess, Alexandra. She is always so prim and proper, only wears dresses and rarely has a hair out of place. Jake is relaxed, laid back, easy going, ‘a throwback to the caveman’. Only someone like him will be able to break down the walls of the ice princess. Their romance is one wild ride and I loved all the verbal foreplay. It makes for some steamy sex scenes.
And Tiny…I have been remiss in never mentioning him. He is a loyal friend and the ‘chef’ at the diner. You’ll definitely know he has a problem with you if he serves you burnt food. LOL
Every time I think their life will calm down and they can live a normal life, something else happens and I can’t wait to find out what and to whom.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Truth Behind The Mask by W L Brooks.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Is Alexandra McKay the reason her sister Fletcher left town? Yes. Does that mean Alex wants to put her life on hold to bring the little beast back? No! But when she discovers her sister’s been abducted, Alex will do whatever it takes to rescue her. Giving up his PI gig was tough, but Jake Keller would rather do that any day than partner up with Alexandra McKay. Unfortunately, if he wants to find his friend Fletcher, he has to work with Her Royal Pain-in-the-Behind-ness. Hot or not, the woman makes his jaw twitch. Forced together by circumstance, and ensnared in a web of clues, the pair submit to their undeniable passion. But if they’re unwilling to face the truth, they will risk not only Fletcher’s life but their own chance at happiness.
Genre: Mystery Suspense Thriller
302 pages, ebook
Published June 9, 2021 by The Wild Rose Press
ABOUT W L BROOKS (from her website)
W.L. Brooks was born with an active imagination. When characters come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the paranormal.
A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North Carolina. Check out the latest book in her McKay Series, The Truth Behind the Mask, and stay tuned to see what’s next!
I am so excited to have won a copy of Honor ‘N’ Duty (Federal K9 #6) by Tee O’Fallon. It is the only book I have read in the series, but now I have my eye on her. I love romantic suspense and the characters quickly grew on me. After reading her impressive bio, I saw why she could write such a believable story with realistic characters. I think most of us know how dangerous and savage cartels can be, but would they kill a child to get what they want?
I was gripped from the meeting in the elevator. Do you believe in love at first sight? What if the woman is marrying your brother? Even though I knew MOST of what was to come, it didn’t stop me from rapidly flipping pages, having to know what comes next. Kade, hubba hubba. Laia, sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do, no explanations. At times Rosa and Smoke steal the stage. I mean, who doesn’t love pineapple pizza and whipped cream directly from the can.
I highly recommend the series and have my fingers crossed that more will come my way.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Two years after his brother’s murder in jail, Department of Homeland Security K-9 Officer Kade Sampson is still haunted by guilt. No man should ever have to arrest his own brother, even if he is laundering money for a drug cartel. Fortunately, Laia Velez—his brother’s gorgeous widow—never learned the truth about Kade’s involvement. But when she asks him for help, he knows that trouble with the cartel is far from over…
Kade is the last person Laia wants to call. But between her house being thoroughly trashed and the uneasy sense that she and her young daughter are being watched, Laia isn’t taking any chances. The cartel wants something from her. And Kade and his K-9 partner, Smoke, are her only chance to survive whatever fresh hell is coming their way…
Now Laia and Kade are trying to stay one step ahead in a game that’s growing more deadly by the minute. But what the cartel wants, the cartel gets. And Kade is running out of time to save the woman he loves from the same fate that killed his brother…
ABOUT TEE O’FALLON
Tee O’Fallon is the author of the K-9 Special Ops, Federal K-9, and NYPD Blue & Gold Series. Tee spent twenty-three years as a federal agent conducting complex, long- and short-term criminal investigations, including undercover operations, across many agencies at the federal level, and multi-state investigations as a police investigator. It felt only natural to combine her hands-on experience in the field with her love of romantic suspense. Tee has lived in New York State most of her life with a five-year stop in Colorado. When not writing, she enjoys cooking, gardening, chocolate, lychee martinis, and all creatures canine.
All too often prequel’s are just a tease and set up for Book I of a series. I do so love with an author can make a prequel novella that stands alone yet makes me want the next one. Especially when a female FBI agent is looking for a woman that went missing on the 87 mile stretch of Jade Forest section.
We are off to a quick start, when a young girl goes missing in the Jade Forest.
Small town mystery with a couple of characters brought together under tragic circumstances. How much danger will they face? I think plenty. The big question is, where will it come from? Is it two legged or four legged? Will there be a romance?
Vanished by Jade Madden is a complete novella, an entire story, in one fell swoop. YAY!
It is written with a light touch. Though there is plenty of gruesome death, it’s over quick. I never really felt the sense of urgency and suspense I love so much. That’s okay. It is a novella and I don’t believe it was meant to. NOW…
What’s next in the Faith Black Case Files? Bring it on.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Vanished by Jade Madden.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
An FBI Agent. A missing hiker. And a secret to die for…
FBI Agent Faith Black was damn good at her job.
But considering the events of her last case, she is lucky to still have her badge.
Her latest assignment lands her in a sleepy backwoods town where people are disappearing.
She’s less than enthused.
She partners with the local sheriff who’s desperate for answers. They agree that their only option is to retrace the footsteps of a college grad who recently vanished while hiking.
Together they scour the hiking trail over 87 miles through the thick mountain forest. They can’t shake the eerie feeling they are not alone.
Whatever was lurking in the shadows wants them gone.
And nothing could have prepared them for what they find.
It was a secret that the ominous forest has been hiding.
A secret only the dead knew…
Vanished is the prequel to the Faith Black FBI Crime Files series; it can be read as a standalone.
Disclaimer: This book is for mature audiences and contains mild profanity and violence.
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2022
ABOUT JADE MADDEN
Jade Madden lives in Minnesota with her husband and dogs. When she’s not writing mystery, thriller, and suspense books, she loves to travel, long-distance hiking, gardening, clean eating, learning about healthy lifestyles, bushcraft, herbalism, and staying fit.
A wonderfully illustrated children’s story sure to entrance the youngsters. Kindness and good manners are on the agenda, when they have a tea party at school. I love the illustrations and descriptions of the food, the fellow water residents they pass on the way to school, and the teacher that makes the tea party so special. Quick and easy for the youngsters to understand. What little girl doesn’t want to be a mermaid?
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Fun, Beautifully Illustrated Bedtime Story/Picture Book about Thoughtfulness and Good Manners for Beginner Readers, Ages 2-8
32 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2013
ABOUT SALLY HUSS (from Amazon)
Sally Huss is a children’s book author and illustrator and a former tennis champion. She lives with her brilliant husband who is forever telling her what her next book should be. She, however, listens to her own heart and writes what she wants; occasionally serving him scrambled eggs and gluten-free toast. She herself prefers a blueberry muffin.
First off, don’t ya just love that cover? Sometimes I will grab a book for that reason alone, but not so in the case of The Rising by Kerry Peresta. I loved her first book in the series, The Deadening, so I quickly dove into The Rising, which is an appropriate title as Olivia Callhan makes the most of her chance to remake herself after being in a coma following an assault and subsequent amnesia.
“You should’ve returned my calls, you idiot. It didn’t have to end like this.”
A great start to The Rising by Kerry Peresta, and I was immediately caught up in the mystery. And, of course, Olivia Callahan is smack dab in the middle of it.
Monty, her ex husband, is in prison, but that doesn’t stop him from manipulating people and complicating her life. She talks herself into visiting him. She is surprised at his appearance, Schwartzenegger in a room full of Danny Devitos. Had me laughing out loud. Her hope was to be able to move forward, but she needed some answers from him first. He is slick and I would be careful of anything he says.
‘Sherry’ plays a bigger part in each story and I love that my namesake is turning into a kickass character.
Olivia had written a book about her experiences and regrets doing so. It puts her in the limelight, recognized everywhere she goes. Her agent is constantly harping on her to write another one, but she has no interest in doing so.
Her love interest, Hunter Faraday, is a very patient man. He will have to be if he wants a relationship with her. She still doesn’t know who she really is, though her personality is done a three hundred and sixty degree turn and I am loving the new her. She falters now and then, but that is to be expected. She is still trying to learn her past.
Her girlfriends stick by her, but Hannah is now on my shit list. Can she redeem herself?
Bells and clangs and alarms sounded in my mind like a fire truck screaming down the freeway.
Want a profound quote. The whole book had me feeling that way. Murder, bombs, revenge, and a new start for Olivia. She’s not happy with the police investigation, so she is starting one of her own.
I was so sad for Niles. Can someone be all bad? Do they deserve a second chance?
Well, The Rising by Kerry Peresta was a wild rollercoaster ride of mystery and emotion, and I expected no less after reading The Deadening. We have so much action and intrigue, I couldn’t stop reading, t times wanting to wring her neck and punch out some of the other characters. Other times, the characters rose to the occasion, making me glad to know she has people like that around her. I will immediately be cracking open The Torching. I guess we’ll be seeing a fire…maybe two…maybe more, going by the title?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Rising by Kerry Peresta.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After an assault that landed her in a hospital as a Jane Doe two years earlier, Olivia Callahan has regained her speech, movement, and much of the memory she lost due to a traumatic brain injury. The media hype about the incident has faded away, and Olivia is ready to rebuild her life, but her therapist insists she must continue to look back in order to move forward. The only person that can help her recall specifics is her abusive ex-husband, Monty, who is in prison for murder. The thought of talking to Monty makes her skin crawl, but for her daughters’ sake and her own sanity, she must learn more about who she was before the attack. Just as the pieces of her life start falling into place, she stumbles across the still-warm body of an old friend who has been gruesomely murdered. Her dream of pursuing a peaceful existence is shattered when she learns the killer left evidence behind to implicate her in the murder. The only person that would want to sabotage her is Monty-but he’s in prison! Something sinister is going on, and Olivia is desperate to figure it out before another senseless murder is committed.
Kerry Peresta’s publishing credits include a popular newspaper and e-zine humor column, “The Lighter Side,” and short stories in the published anthology, “That One Left Shoe,” and her first novel released in 2013 by Pen-L Publishing, “The Hunting,” contemporary women’s fiction. She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, and copywriter before deciding to devote more of her time to writing. She is currently working on her next novel, and the most current one, The Deadening, fiction, suspense; releases Feb. 23, 2021 and will be available for pre-order mid-January. Kerry has been published in several local magazines, including Local Life, Island Events, Bluffton Breeze, and Lady Lowcountry. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Island Writers Network of Hilton Head. She enjoys participating in writing conferences, and has served as chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association. Learn more about Kerry at www.kerryperesta.net, https://www.facebook.com/klperesta or https://www.instagram.com/kerryperesta
Carolyn Arnold sets the hook in me with the Prologue for Her Dark Grave.
I am going to kill someone before graduation.
Just because a family appears to have it all, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors…mom and ‘my little boy’ aren’t telling. And, that is how a killer is born.
Madison Knight is a detective with the Stiles Police Department. Her nightmares and inability to sleep have her driving around in the early morning hours. Her lover, Troy Matthews, a SWAT leader, had fought for his life when they went up against the Russian Mafia. Could they be following her? Are they in danger?
Her car runs out of gas and she discovers a suitcase filled with body parts.
Tara is found. She may be rich, but she is devoted to those less privileged. She fights poverty and illiteracy, knowing the power of being able to read can lead to jobs.
She strongly believed that children are our future.
Madison Knight is my favorite Carolyn Arnold character. Besides her and her significant other Troy, we have her partner Terry, who seems to be hiding something from her, and Cynthia, head of the forensics lab and lead criminal investigator. She is Madison’s best friend and expecting a baby. Madison reminds me of Brenda Lee Johnson from the TV show, The Closer.
HE knew he was different from the time he was six years old. He felt no pain, but did experience pleasure, and aren’t we supposed to pursue happiness? I don’t think ‘they’ meant by being bathed in blood. His memories are his friends. As the pace of his kills picks up and a second woman is found mutilated, is he trying to get caught. Does he want his name in lights?
As Terry’s secret is exposed and Madison and Troy’s future becomes clear to her, it seems she has come full circle. To find out what I mean by that, you will need to read the book.
I love that Carolyn Arnold’s books smack of realism. Sure, there are those ‘fiction’ moments, but her ability to take us through the procedures of the investigation, step by step, lead us to the killer in a realistic way. Her research is evident in the details.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Her Dark Grave by Carolyn Arnold.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Her eyes widen at her reflection in the steel blade as it comes closer, closer, closer…
Detective Madison Knight thought a midnight drive through the countryside would help clear her mind, but she thought wrong. Her car runs out of gas, stranding her in the middle of nowhere in pitch darkness. When she gets out to stretch her legs, the beam of her phone’s flashlight lands on a suitcase in the ditch. After she opens it, she’s sorry she did.
Tara Jackson was only twenty-one years old with her entire life ahead of her before she was stabbed to death and stuffed into a piece of luggage. Madison is determined to find her justice and soon uncovers that Tara was keeping secrets from those closest to her and suspects they may have gotten her killed. But while she’s exploring that lead, the body of another young woman is found in a sports equipment bag.
She looks just like Tara and is the same age, and Madison starts to wonder if the killer she’s after has killed before. Desperate, she turns to cold cases and missing person reports to see if she can dig up anything to further the investigation.
Madison finds eighteen-year-old Daphne Tucker, who was reported missing from the area three years ago. She’s a doppelganger to the other victims. Is the reason Daphne hasn’t been heard from because she’s dead too? And has her killer returned, hungry for more blood?
As Madison edges closer to the truth, someone is stalking her from the shadows, and she fears it just may be the twisted, demented killer she’s hunting. But can Madison outsmart him or her before she becomes the next victim?
This completely gripping bone-chilling crime thriller is perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, D.K. Hood, and Leslie Wolfe.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 17, 2023 by Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc
ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.
I love the fabulous cover for The Deadening by Kerry Peresta. Everything about the book appealed to me. I got so much more than I expected, from the Prologue that set the hook until the final page I read.
Olivia Callahan ‘claws at the bars of her paralysis.’
I screamed and screamed, but my useless lips refused to utter a sound.
Super creepy. Her mind is screaming, but no one can hear her. She can’t move a muscle, not a finger, not an eyelid, to let them know she can hear them. I can’t imagine how terrifying that would be, but Kerry Peresta made me feel her confusion and terror.
As Olivia talks to her friends about her divorce from Monty and her lawyers suggestions, they question her decisions to buckle under to his demands. As I learn about Monty, I question who her lawyer is really working for. She is meek and mild, worse than a doormat, telling everyone her life is hunky dory. I can only hope she becomes rabid at some point.
When Olivia awakens from her coma, she doesn’t remember how she came to be there…or anything else for that matter. Who are the people in her room? Even worse, who is she?
Even though it is terrible how she came to be there, I love the changes the brain injury caused in her. The brain is amazing. Even a smell could bring back a memory, and it would crush her. Maybe some memories are better off forgotten, but I too would want to know.
Mom leaned over and whispered, “See? If you faint occasionally, they’ll do whatever you want without arguing about it.”
Olivia Callhan’s changes have a ripple affect, changing everyone else’s life along with it. There are moments of levity along with the devastation wreaked on her friends and family.
“You’re coming back to life, and we are so excited for you.”
“I never even knew I was dead.”
Niles, I wondered how the author would handle that whole situation. Is he deserving of a second chance? I was afraid that Kerry Peresta would use a trite solution, but no, she surprised me and I loved how she dealt with him.
There is the beginning of a romance between Olivia and Hunter, the detective that handled her investigation, and I love that there was no instalove, but a mutual attraction. Of course, I might have felt different if I didn’t know there was another book on my Kindle so I can find out what happens next in, The Rising.
I loved the ending!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Deadening by Kerry Peresta.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Olivia Callahan’s quiet, orderly life is shattered when she regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers she is paralyzed and cannot remember a thing. The fragmented voices she hears around her help her piece together that an apparent assault landed her in the hospital, but nobody knows who attacked her, or why. After a chilling struggle to survive, she awakens from a coma unable to remember what happened to her or anything at all, except she has been told she is an entirely different person. Or is she?
Now, in spite of a brain injury that has rewired her personality, Olivia is on a mission to reclaim her life. As clarity surfaces and she starts to understand who she was, she is shocked. Had she really been that person? And if so, does she want her old life back?
Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
310 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2021 by Level Best Books
ABOUT KERRY PERESTA
Kerry Peresta’s publishing credits include a popular newspaper and e-zine humor column, “The Lighter Side,” and short stories in the published anthology, “That One Left Shoe,” and her first novel released in 2013 by Pen-L Publishing, “The Hunting,” contemporary women’s fiction. She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, and copywriter before deciding to devote more of her time to writing. She is currently working on her next novel, and the most current one, The Deadening, fiction, suspense; releases Feb. 23, 2021 and will be available for pre-order mid-January. Kerry has been published in several local magazines, including Local Life, Island Events, Bluffton Breeze, and Lady Lowcountry. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Island Writers Network of Hilton Head. She enjoys participating in writing conferences, and has served as chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association. Learn more about Kerry at www.kerryperesta.net, https://www.facebook.com/klperesta or https://www.instagram.com/kerryperesta
Book Title: Shadow Wolf of the Rocky Mountains by Natascha Birovljev Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 484 pages Genre: Adventure Publisher: North Raven Books Release date: March 27, 2023 Content Rating: PG for romantic elements
MY REVIEW
It is wonderful to be back in Spruce View with characters I have come to know so well. Shadow Wolf of the Rocky Mountains is the fourth book in the Rocky Mountain series. I have loved spending time with everyone, struggling through their issues ad the find their place in the world.
The Prologue shares a story of Two Wolves, loosely based on a Cherokee legend. I love that each book starts out with a different tribes legend. I love that we have an animal rescue center, and Kachina, a wolf pup is in dire need of their help.
We meet a new guy, Doug. All my spidey senses went on alert, but that could just be me. I am always looking around the corner for this or that bad thing or bad person to make an appearance.
I was able to spot some trouble coming and I had to know how everything would pan out. There is so much going on and so many new adventures for the characters, there was never a dull moment.
I have loved this series, reading one book right after the other. Natascha Birovljev is an amazing author, filling the book’s pages with vividly described environments, characters that had me laughing and even shedding a tear or two or three and mysteries to be solved. I feel like I have learned a lot about ranching and the Native culture.
Could there be more coming in the Rocky Mountain series? We could end here and I would be satisfied, but I would love to have more and keep up with the gang.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Shadow Wolf by Natascha Birovljev.
4 Stars
Book Description:
What if the untamed wilderness held the key to unlocking the deepest desires of the heart?
In the shadow of the majestic Rocky Mountains, whispers of untold stories and hidden destinies come to life. Welcome to the world of The Shadow Wolf of the Rocky Mountains, the fourth installment in the gripping Willow Ranch series. Here, three humans and a she-wolf navigate a treacherous landscape of love, loss, and the unforgiving wilderness.
When fate intertwines the lives of Rosie, the resilient groom, Cody, the enigmatic cowboy, and Woodwind, the mystical Cree Indian, their fragile dreams and deepest fears are unearthed. At the heart of it all is the Willow Ranch, a place where passions ignite, and lives are forever altered. Can they trust the strength of their bond and the power of love to guide them through the storm?
In this haunting tale of self-discovery and the quest for redemption, each character is forced to confront their own demons. As Cody grapples with the crushing weight of his brother’s suicide, Rosie fights for her horses and her home amidst swirling deception. And Woodwind, haunted by self-doubt, must find the courage to save the she-wolf and the woman who has captured his heart.
As careless decisions threaten the future of the Willow Ranch, the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains presents a formidable challenge. With time running out, the friends and staff must pull together and believe in the magic of community to save their home and their happiness.
Dare to venture into the wild unknown, where heartache and hope collide, and where the call of the heart is a siren song that cannot be ignored. “Song of the Wild: Call of the Heart” beckons you to the Willow Ranch, where the secrets of the wilderness hold the key to love, courage, and the power of unity.
Embark on this unforgettable journey of love and self-discovery today – answer the call of the heart and unlock the secrets hidden within the wild.
Natascha Birovljev is a storyteller at heart and author of the “Willow Ranch” book series.
Growing up in Germany, horses were always part of her life. After getting her Master degree in Religious Studies and German Literature, adventure was calling and she traveled to Alberta. She fell in love with the wild beauty of the Rocky Mountains and immigrated from Germany to Canada in 2005.
Here she worked the first years as a guide for horseback vacations, exploring mountain trails and spending the summer months in tent camps in the wilderness.
Inspired by her adventures and connections to ranchers, cowboys and First Nation communities, she started writing her books. Natascha lives on her ranch in Alberta with her horses and dogs.
Her stories show her fascination with the beauty of the Rocky Mountain wilderness and her love for the people she encounters.
